Days, One By One
by Soul's Shadow
Summary: "The girl who carries darkness in her heart." Himari finds herself torn apart from her sibling, and given a whole new life. New people,new enemies, and a strong bond between madness and light. What more could she ask for? Rated T. OCxOC
1. Everything Must Have A Beginning

**Story Title: Days, One By One**

**Rating: T**

**Genre: Action/Romance/Drama**

* * *

><p>"<em>Ahh! Big sister, look! Look!" the little girl pointed towards the flashing lights that lit up the sky. The little girl looked like her older sibling, her dark hair swishing with every turn of her head. Her eyes were a dark blue. It was the annual spring festival, and the two sisters were sitting in the grass watching the fire explode next to the stars.<em>

"_Yes…" the older sister replied. The older sister looked like the younger, only more mature. Her eyes were purple. She kept a strong grip on the younger one's hand, just in case, she didn't want the little one to get lost._

"_Isn't it pretty, big sister?" _

"_It is very pretty, Aki." The older sister patted Aki's head. _

"_You're very pretty, Mari!" Aki exclaimed. "You're prettier than the stars and fireworks and bunnies and flowers combined!" She stretched her arms out wide to prove her point. Mari sniffed. Her sister was so kind. Gently, she grabbed her and held her close to her heart. Aki squeezed her back._

"_Thank you, Aki." The two spent the night watching the pretty fireworks and the stars, until Aki fell asleep, and Mari carried the little one back to their home, where their parents fought, as usual._

"_Damn it, you're so stupid! Staying out this late! It's just a festival!" Mari's father screamed at her. Mari covered Aki's ears. She didn't need to hear this._

"_I'm sorry, Father." She said solemnly. Her mother pulled on her husband's sleeve._

"_Don't yell at her, it's not her fault!" Her mother said quickly. She braced herself while the man slapped her across the face. She fell to the floor, cradling her cheek._

"_You!" Her father pointed at Mari. "Take the brat to her room, then I can deal with you!"_

"_Yes, Father." Mari walked quietly to her room, the one both sisters shared. She walked out, smiling at the snoring Aki. She got on her knees in front of her father. She bowed until her nose was touching the cold floor. One of the most known acts to show dishonor to themselves. _

"_I'm sorry, Father, for all the trouble I have caused. Please, within your kindness, please forgive me!" Mari whispered. Secretly, behind her bored expression, was curdling blood._

"_You're the heir to this family, and you can't do a damn thing right!" Her father grabbed her dark ponytail and pulled it up, up until her feet barely touched the floor. _

"_I'm sorry." Mari said slowly. Her face was emotionless. She held back tears from the pain._

"_Sorry's not good enough this time!" He threw her up against the wall. Mari coughed, the breath escaping her a bit. The father pulled onto the ponytail. Her mother gasped._

"_Stop it, Jinen!" Her mother pleaded. She grabbed her husband's hand and pryed it from her daughter's hair._

"_Shut up!" He hit her in the stomach. She was about to scream when Mari reacted. She came over and covered her mouth with her hand._

"_Hmmph. Worthless. I don't know why I stay here." Jinen straightened and headed toward the door. "Going out with the guys. I'll be back in a few days." He walked out the door and slammed it shut. The two ladies both knew where he was going. To the clubs, to get pleasure from prostitutes. Mother always cried when she saw him bring one home, like a lost puppy. They were more beautiful than her._

"_I'm sorry, Mother." Mari let go of her mother's mouth. The mother was crying. _

"_Go to bed, Himari." Her mother said quietly._

"_Yes, Mother. Good night." Mari bent down and kissed her mother's tear-soaked cheek. She straightened and wiped her mouth with her green sleeve. Mari doesn't like physical contact. She dislikes people. Mari walked into the hall and into her bedroom. She laid down next to a sleeping Aki. Mari closed her eyes and eventually fell into a fitful sleep._

_She was awoken with something covering her eyes. It was a black blindfold. Mari squirmed around, but something grabbed her wrists. Something cold was placed on one of her wrists, the other one grabbed firmly._

_Handcuffs, she thought. Mari remained calm, slowly speaking. Thankfully the intruder had not gagged her._

"_Where's the little one?" she said._

"_I gave her some… sleeping, medicine. I used the whole thing on her, so I have to simply tie you up." It was her mother's voice. The voice was dry and rasped. A cold, wet, cloth was pressed against the sides of her mouth. She was completely handicapped._

"_Aki's already in the car, hurry up… get up!" she said hastily. She was breathing hard, as if she just ran a marathon. Mari knew she just took something, probably some drugs. Mari was worried when Aki would wake up again._

_Suddenly all three of them were in the car, and speeding off the street like a bullet. Mari's handcuffs were now on both wrists, and she was handcuffed to the back of the seat's armrest. She heard Aki's soft snores to her left. The door was on her right. She moved her legs to where they were wrapped around Aki's. She gently pulled and tugged on Aki's ankles and knees until she felt her head bob onto her shoulder._

_Suddenly the car swerved to the right. Mari banged up against the door. She felt cold air. The car alarm started to beep. The mother didn't shut the door hard enough, and thankfully her mother didn't hear the beeping. Mari riled up all her strength and pulled the chain against the metal pole that held the arm to the chair. Her wrists ached. _

_Bang, bang, bang. _

_The chains snapped. I knew it, Mari thought, cheap prank handcuffs. Mari freed herself from the gag, but the blindfold was too tight. She felt her way around the car door until she felt the handle. She turned it. It wasn't locked. She braced herself back as the car door flew open._

"_What the?" The mother screamed. She let go of the wheel. They swerved to the left. Mari grabbed Aki and, using the back of the seat as a board, jumped out of the car. She turned right before they landed on the hard asphalt. Mari's back burned. She sat up just before the car ran into a curb, then a wooden pole that held the telephone lines. A small fire started at the head of the car. Mari smelled the smoke. Her mother was still in the front driver seat, but looking back. Mari felt her eyes stare at her blindfold. Mari smiled. Mari was still blind, but she could tell that her mother was bleeding. The handcuffs jingled as she set Aki down on the street and stood. _

"_What'cha gonna do now, little bunny?" her mother coughed. "Run away?"_

"_I will." Mari said aloud. _

"_What about the brat?" Her mother called out. _

_Mari flinched. She thought aloud. "I'll leave her. She can forget me, and live in a better home. It'll be perfect if you die."_

"_Good luck with that." Her mother laughed. She started to cough, wet, sloppy coughs. "It better work out like that or Aki will die!" _

"_I'll have to make precautions, then. I'm smarter than you think, dumbass." It felt good to say that to her mother._

_Her mother cackled. She gasped for air. "See you."_

"_I hope you burn." Mari called. She knelt over Aki and brushed her bangs out of her closed eyes. Mari turned, away from the car, away from the screaming sirens growing nearer, and away from Aki. Her blindfold didn't bother her anymore. "Forgive me, Aki. Forgive me by forgetting I exist." She started walking, to the right, and eventually, when the sirens stopped and yelling for backup was heard, Mari was nowhere in sight. She was in the shadows, walking away, smiling._

* * *

><p>My green kimono got dirtier and dirtier, I could tell. My hair was still in a ponytail, the black strands waving behind me. I felt something drip down my chin, down my neck. I stopped and touched it. It was warm. I held my hand out in front of my mouth and I tasted it.<p>

_Blood._

It was coming from my nose. I wiped it with my sleeve. I slipped off my sandals, they were starting to hurt. I felt the cool summer's air sweep into my socked toes. I started to walk at a slower pace. I was far away from my home.

'_Aki… forgive your sister.'_ I thought. '_Forget about me. Mother… don't ever talk about me again, if you're ever alive after this. Aki… you're an only child… Forget about me, little one…' I sent her that message through my head. I hope she'd get it. _

I wondered if my plan could work. If it did, Aki would be safe. I walked and walked, but my legs never got tired. I started to wonder what would happen next.

"Where am I?" I said aloud. The silence was screaming at me.

I touched my nose hole. It stopped bleeding. I hadn't stopped crying, though. All this time secret tears streamed down my cheeks. The tears mixed with some of my blood, making red tears stream down my chin and neck. I started singing a song, a song that gave me courage to keep my pace, I made up the words as I went along the lonely sidewalk.

"_Do, not worry, your heart is all right…"_

I suddenly tripped. I got on my knees and felt the ground. I was walking up on a long stair case. I got up and slowly felt my way up the stairs.

"_It beats strong, resonating with your sound soul…"_

Step, step, step… one foot after the other.

"_Don't be afraid, because your heart is here,"_

I reached the top. I was slowly lurching forward now. It was difficult to breathe. And to walk. I'm so tired…

"_You are your soul,"_

"_And I am your heart,"_

I stopped. I sensed a figure in the night. A shadow has come to eat this sinful spirit, then?

"_For I have stolen your heart…"_

I accept that fate.

"_For I have stolen your precious heart…"_

My knees buckled. My eyes closed through my blindfold. I fell onto my side. Everything was cold.

_I am going to die here._

I felt at peace.

* * *

><p>I was falling.<p>

Falling.

Falling.

Down.

I opened my eyes. It was pitch black. I looked at myself. I was wearing a purple and white dress with frills and high knee socks, and high black boots. My sleeves were long and puffed out at the shoulders and wrists. From the waist down the short dress puffed out. My hair was down. I had no handcuffs or blindfold.

I felt ground beneath my feet. I was on a platform. In front of me stood a mirror. I walked up to it. I saw cherry blossom petals slowly fall from behind me. I turned, nothing fell. Looking back at the mirror, I fell on my butt, eyes wide.

All I saw in the mirror was myself, only a giant shadow.

"I am your shadow, indeed." My mirrored self said, reading my mind. "I'm the darkness you keep locked up in your heart." The mirror flashed. The shadow-me was gone, and replacing it was a red heart with a silver keyhole in the middle of it. The pink blossoms changed into glass shards. One of them cut me. My pure red blood dripped, and somehow landed into the mirror. Like ripples in the water, my shadow appeared again. I got onto my knees.

"Who are you?" I yelled. The voice echoed at me, scared, lonely, lost.

"What do you wish?"

I thought… I looked at her, my vision blurry. I was crying. She straightened her back, towering over me.

"A new beginning!"

"Find the key to unlock your madness." Suddenly a katana came flying out from the mirror. The shadow smirked. It struck me in my right eye. Suddenly everything was red… then black.

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><p>Next Chapter!<p>

_"Who are you?" I looked up at a pair of golden eyes._

_ "Do you know what you are?"_

_"Meister..."_


	2. Two New Friends?

"She's waking up! She waking up!" A voice called from the darkness. My eyes were closed behind my eyelids. It felt safer than opening them. I stirred.

"Oh? She's finally awaken?" A comical, bouncy voice came out.

_I'm not dead?_

I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a few times before everything became clear. My blindfold was gone. I was in an office.

_A nurse's office?_

_Huh?_

I sat up, but winced in pain. My back felt like needles stabbed it over and over. A hand grabbed my shoulder and put me back down on the bed.

"Easy… easy…" A boy voice. He sounded like he was fifteen. I turned my head. A boy with soft golden eyes looked into mine. He wore a suit with a white undershirt and a skull tie. He had black hair, with three white lines coming out halfway from the left side of his head. I gawked.

"Where am I?" I was about to ask, but suddenly my throat wouldn't work. I place a hand on it. It was dry. My first reaction was to grab the boy's collar and demand him where I was, but I was immobilized.

"You have pretty eyes." The boy said, in a daze. "Too bad they're not symmetrical…"

I felt my face go red.

"Yes…" the bouncy voice came back. "It's rare to have miscolored eyes." Huh? Both my eyes were purple. I turned my head farther. A table sat behind the boy. On it was a mirror, water in a plastic cup, and other tools. I reached at the mirror. My hand couldn't pick it up, no matter how hard I tried. It weighed a ton.

"You want to see your reflection? Okay…" the boy turned and picked up the mirror with my hand still around it. His palm felt warm against my cold skin. He put it in front of my face. I gawked at what I saw.

Usually I was dirtied and bloodied, but my face had been scrubbed clean. My hair was down, out of the ponytail. Another thing… My left eye was purple, as it always was, but my right eye was…

_Blue?_

_My eyes were always one color…_

_Right?_

Memories of the katana flying into my right eye made me suspicious. I shook the thought away.

"Do you remember who you are?" The bouncy voice asked. I looked around for the voice. I saw it near the doorway. Again my eyes widened.

The bouncy voice belonged to a very tall man wearing a long, spiky coat (I hoped it was a coat) that covered his body. He wore a comical skull mask. He had large, white gloved, foamed fingers for hands.

I let go of the mirror, the boy setting it down on my lap, and looked at my hands. They too were clean. Memories of that night flooded back into my head. I looked at the ceiling.

_Aki…_

I cleared my throat, and spoke slowly. The two men perked up and listened very intently.

I swallowed. "I'm…" I thought aloud. "Himari…" I didn't want to be called "Mari" anymore. My full name would be fine.

"Do you have a last name?" The lined-headed boy asked. I shook my head. _No one needs to know…_

"I think fate brought you here." The masked man said. I looked at him and cocked my head. "Do you know what you are?"

I gave him a confused look. What was he talking about? Rude…

"She probably doesn't know anything about it, Father. Himari must've led a 'normal' life before." The kid said. Father? They're… related? I choked back giggles.

Well, from what I've been through, how does this not surprise me?

"Normal?" The father said. "How is her life normal when she came up the stairs in a dirty kimono with no shoes, broken handcuffs on her wrists, and a _blindfold _on? Plus, she was bleeding really bad."

"You're right… and by the lines on her mouth she must've been gagged as well. Maybe she was kidnapped?" The boy reached and touched my face. I flinched, and despite the pain, I crept to the corner of the bed.

"What do you mean… what am I?" I said quietly.

"No need to be scared. We won't hurt you." The tall one chirruped.

"Hmm, by the sounds of it you must really not know. You're a meister. A strong one at that." The boy said calmly.

"Meister…?" I said the word slowly on my tongue. "As in the old stories of meisters and weapons?" The old child story of a weapon, someone who can transform themselves into any sort of weapon, and a meister, a person who controls these beings, and are partners with them. It is also hinted the best meisters can see people's soul, and what type of person they are.

"Indeed, only it's not a story, it's real. And you're one of the strongest meisters I've ever seen." The masked man said happily.

I closed my eyes. I know I asked for a new beginning and all, but this is like a crazy dream.

"Wake up, Himari. You're probably hallucinating from the car crash… wake up… wake me up…" I sat up onto my knees, despite the ever-going pain. I covered my face with my hands.

"Car crash?" the boy said. His eyes widened. "So you're the girl that child kept calling for in the car crash…" he said, shocked.

I tried to act confused. "Huh?"

The man piped in. "A car crash happened right about the time we found you. A mother was found dead from the crash, and she was drugged with meth. The child had also been drugged with a sleeping syndrome. The child looked like it flew from out of the car, because she was in the middle of the road, asleep, not a scratch on her. As if someone moved her before the impact.

The mother was alive when help arrived, but she only repeated a few words. 'Is she okay?' She died shortly after. We figured she was talking about the child."

_The witch died, eh? Good for you, you finally get to burn. _I thought.

"When the child awoke she started to ask where her older sister was, over and over. She hadn't stopped crying about it until she fell back asleep. They don't know who she is or who the older sister is. Kid and I figures the older sister saved the younger girl before they crashed and then fled."

"Oh…" I said softly. _Thank God… Aki's safe._ "Are you accusing me of being the person who fled?"

"No." The man replied.

"I guess we haven't introduced us to you, yet, Himari." The boy said. He stood and bowed. "I'm Death the Kid, Kid for short." He smiled at me. I blushed at his formality.

"I'm Shinigami!" The man said happily, like a child. "I'm the headmaster at this school, DWMA. Death Weapon Meister Academy. I hope you will join this school, Himari?"

"Uh…" I was all I could reply. Join a school? Did he just invite me to a school?

"Well, you don't have to live the life of a meister…" Shinigami said sadly.

"I didn't say I didn't want to be a meister, Shinigami!" I said, putting fake joy in my voice. _This is good, I thought. This new beginning is turning in my favor…_

"Good, good! First thing, would you like to change your name? All weapons and meisters are given the choice."

"Hmm…" I thought about it. I loved my name, Himari. Aki said angels would fly whenever that name was said, it was so lovely. Whenever she said that, I cried with joy. Even though she was seven, she still was a wise sweetheart. Another name popped into my head. It reminded me of madness, which is an emotion that takes over people's hearts. I also loved that name. I dunno why.

"Alice." I said. "I'm Alice." I smirked.

"No last name?" Kid asked.

"I don't remember my previous last name, so no." I flat out lied into their faces. If they found out my name, Amuza, I'll die. Amuza is the name for the family of famous sword fighters. We don't teach the practice anymore, but the legend still holds true. My father came from that line, but his generation hid from the rumors. He dishonored us.

"Alright, Alice, come with me, if you're up to it." Shinigami said. I slowly swung my legs over the bunk, and stood up. I still had no shoes on. My legs were sore from walking so far. My back still burned. I winced.

"How long was I out?" I asked as I struggled my way toward Shinigami.

"About eight hours, absolutely symmetrical!" Kid said happily, and slapped me on the back, playfully. My back gave me more pain than I ever felt in a long time. The air was whooshed out of me. I dropped to my knees.

"Hey… you alright?" Shinigami bent over me. He looked menacing, besides the mask.

I shook my head. I felt like curling up and dying, the way my back burned. _Why? _I remembered why. I turned my back for Aki, and I landed on the asphalt.

"Let me take a look at it." Kid helped me up and back onto the bed. "Take off the top-half of your kimono."

"_What?"_ I yelled. Sure, I was wearing a bra, but I wasn't gonna let some guy I just met look at me half naked.

Kid laughed. "I won't look, I just want to check your back."

I sighed. I flipped my hair away, and untied the ribbon that held my kimono together. I slipped the sleeves down to my elbows. I felt cold. I crossed my arms around my chest.

"So… so… so…" Kid stuttered. "So unsymmetrical!" He yelled. He covered his eyes. I glared at him.

"I'm so sorry I'm ugly, you damn brat." I began to pull my sleeves back up when suddenly Kid's hand landed on my shoulder. I winced in pain.

"You can't see it, but you've got scratches all over you. Burns, bruises, and cuts, too." Damn! I forgot about the marks my father made all my life. I had a scar on my thigh from when he cut me very deeply once. Thankfully they couldn't see it.

"So?" I asked. Suddenly Kid's hand dropped from my shoulder down onto the middle of my back. His warm hand suddenly pressed harder onto my skin. It suddenly felt like he was pouring warm liquids into my body. My body became very, very sore. Then…

Nothing.

I touched my thigh. I blinked. I felt no large scar. It felt like I tripped and cut myself there. My back felt like it was being washed with warm water. My eyelids became dull. I sat there, enjoying the warmth Kid's hand magically gave off.

I tried with all my might not to fall asleep. I slumped forward.

He lifted his hand away. I felt sad without that healing sensation. I turned to see that Kid's eyes were closed. He was panting.

"Alice…" Kid began. "That was Soul Sensation. A spell meisters can use to heal the wounds of others. When they do, they sense the wounds on their body to heal. Alice, there was wounds all over your body." He opened his eyes. They were filled with concern. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

I looked at him. Then at Shinigami. The at my hands. Then back at Kid.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said coolly. _"Please… don't talk about it! Please… Kid…" _I pleaded with my eyes.

"I believe you know exactly what I'm talking about." Kid said.

I pulled my kimono up and tied it back together with the ribbon. I closed my eyes.

"I don't. Now stop talking about it." I said. "The rabbit said to me once, that curiosity slaughtered the cat." I whispered coldly. I opened my eyes and turned. I looked into Kid's. I couldn't tell what he was thinking through those golden eyes of his.

"Very well." Kid said slowly. "Let's go find a suitable weapon for you."

* * *

><p>We were in the 'picking room' as Shinigami put it. There were several weapons on multiple rows of tables. There were over 5 rows. I felt as light as a feather. No pain came from moving, something that I never received the comfort of at home.<p>

"Pick a few, then we'll go outside and try it out." Kid said. He was different from the nurse's office. He was more relaxed. Good… we don't need him asking questions.

"How about this?" Shingami picked up a shiny pistol.

I shrugged.

"This?" Kid picked up a long rod. It was pretty. I shrugged.

I turned my head to look at the long black scythe. It was a long-handled scythe. People said it was heavy, but I picked it up and spun it around with ease. It felt familiar…

"How about… this?" Shinigami picked up a long bow with an arrow in either hand. I shrugged.

Kid came up with a chain sickles. It's an assassin's double-edged knife connected by a chain. It looked complicated. I shrugged. I was still carrying the black scythe. Something glimmered in the corner of my eye. I turned.

A sheath.

I laid the scythe down and picked up the sheath.

"That's a ninja assassin's weapon, a katana." Kid said matter-of-factly.

"I know." I said, without realizing what I said before Kid chuckled.

I took the blade out of it's shield. It felt odd in my hand. _Odd… I thought. Our family held the katana like this and swung it with ease, but this just feels weird. _I flipped it to where I held it upside-down. I swung it like it was a toy. I turned my wrist, and the blade skimmed across Kid's pants, ripping it.

I laughed. Kid started freaking out how it wasn't symmetrical and demanded I fixed it. I turned my entire body and stretched my arm out. It dug into his other pant leg, making it symmetrical.

"You seemed skilled with it." Shinigami stated. He was behind me now. "Yoink!" He took the blade before I broke anything else. "Let's try out these weapons, then."

We were outside, the plaza of the school. Each of us had two weapons for me to try out. I had my scythe and katana. Kid had the chain knife and rod. Shinigami had the pistol and bow.

I practiced the chain sickles first. I easily threw it, and it wrapped around Kid's wrist. I pulled, and he came flying in. I turned the chain to where I held the sickles, and Kid was on the floor, all tied up. I held the sickle to his neck.

I smirked at his distraught face.

I took aim with the bow and arrows next. I fired it. My aim was Shinigami's large hand. I missed by a mile.

Next I tried the pistol. I held it sideways, and I got the aim pretty close, but I didn't like it very much.

Next was the rod. Kid used his own fighting techniques. I used my own self-defense moves, since that's what the rod was used for mostly.

"Where did you learn these moves?" I said quickly, dodging his fists and kicks.

Up, down, up, left, left, spin, under, quick, at my foot!, turn, right, right. Done.

We stood there panting. I twirled the rod like a baton. "Haha, beat, huh Kid?" Suddenly I was on the floor. The rod hit me in the head.

Kid laughed.

Next was the scythe. I loved using it. It was like it was an extended part of my arm. I didn't tell them though.

Slash, up, down, slash, turn, jump…

We were both panting hard from the fight.

Lastly was the katana. I held it upside-down. Slash, down, down…

Suddenly I did something I never thought I'd ever do.

I jumped backwards, giving a gap between me and Kid. Kid lashed forward. I landed on my feet, my back towards the running Kid. I placed my right foot out, and twisted my back and hips to give me an opening to the side. Kid ran straight into the butt of my sword.

"Oof!" Kid landed on his back. The air was swept out of him. But I didn't stop. I turned my left foot around the right to where I was directly above Kid. I placed my sword down on his chest.

"You seem skilled with it." Shinigami said aloud. He was standing to the side, watching. My eyes widened, and I dropped the sword. Kid caught it.

We were sitting Shinigami's office, drinking herbal tea. We came down to two weapons, the katana and the scythe.

Shinigami said katana, Kid said scythe. I got tired of their bickering, I liked either one, and closed my eyes. I grabbed a tea leaf and put it behind my back. I put it in my right.

I opened my eyes to see a confused Shinigami and Kid.

"Pick a hand. If you get the leaf, scythe, if you get none, katana." The two of them whispered and Kid pointed. I held out my hand.

No leaf.

"Congratulations, Alice, the newest katana meister of DWMA!" Shinigami smiled.

"Eh?"

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter!<strong>

**_"So... this is home?" I asked Kid._**

**_"There's some people I want you to meet."_**

**_"Who?"_**


	3. Home Sweet Home

"_So I start in one week?" I asked._

"_Mmmhmm!" Shinigami chirped. He decided I would join the Academy, as a transfer student with no memories. (My idea.) I would stay with Kid until I got my own dorm. _

"There's some people I want you to meet." Kid said. We were walking from the school and down to the mall, I would get some new clothes. I looked at my kimono. I washed it while I was in the bathroom, but compared to everyone's modern clothing, I was an outcast.

"Who?" I asked. The sandals I wore were a pair Shinigami fashioned for me. They fit snugly. I wonder how he was able to make sandals in such a short period of time…

"A few of my good friends, and my partners." He said.

"You have partners?" I asked. "What are they?" I somehow felt jealous that he had partners and I didn't.

"Liz and Patty Thompson. Twin sisters, also twin pistols. Perfectly symmetrical!" he said dreamily. I gave him a look.

"Haha… who else?" I laughed at his OCD.

"There's Maka and Soul…" Kid began.

"Soul? I like that name…" I stated. "Soul"… It sounded… cool.

"Yeah, then there's Black*Star and Tsubaki. Be aware of Black*Star, though. He's… self-revolved." His face got a tired look on it, making Kid rub his temples.

"I see." I whispered.

"Then there's Roxas."

"Roxas… nice name." I liked that name, too.

"Mmhmm. He's quiet, like you. Just as stubborn."

"Is he a meister?" I asked, angry that he said I was stubborn.

"Weapon, actually. I don't know what, though. I never saw. I met him like a month ago." Kid glanced at me. "Transfer student. Like you." He poked my shoulder. I glared at him. I confessed my hatred for physical contact, and this was his way of literally "poking fun" at me.

"Is he partnerless?"

"Yes. No one can match wavelengths with him, from what I heard."

"I see." I looked ahead, lost in thought.

'_Find the key that will unlock your madness.' A red heart appeared in my head, a keyhole in the center, it shined a pretty silver. Suddenly the right side of it was drowned in black goop._

'_Found half. Find the other half, and your true name will appear, Alice.' The shadow gave me a Glasgow smile. It freaked me out._

"Alice, you okay?" Kid stopped. I had dazed out.

"Huh? Oh… yeah, fine."

"We're here." We were in the supermall I've been in here so many times before, mostly with Mother and Aki to buy things for Father. No one knows me here, thankfully. I had no friends when I was Himari... memories flooded. I stopped at a clothing store. The name "Super-Chick" was in gold letters above the giant opening that led into the store.

We walked in. I was looking at the big sale signs when Kid was dragged away from my side. A saleswoman spoke into his ear.

"Would you like to give your girlfriend new clothing?" She dragged Kid to the "Hip" section of the store. I followed. She left us alone, smirking. We started looking at the racks.

"How about this, girlfriend?" Kid joked as he held up a tiny little bra with no wire. A training bra? I gasped at him. _He's been staring at my chest! That lecher!_ I stuck my tongue out at him, covering my chest by crossing my arms. I ran into the changing room. I closed the curtain behind me.

"What did you get?" Kid asked.

"I hate you! Leave me alone!" I snapped at him. I sat down on the bench. I hadn't grabbed anything to change into, I felt stupid sitting there.

His hand popped in with a regular pop tee with jeans. "Here, these look good." I snatched them from him.

"Ow, you scratched me! So unsymmetrical!" He whined. I cackled evilly.

"Revenge!" I put on the outfit. They fit perfectly. The pop tee came down to my shoulders, so you could see my tattoos, but not much. The jeans were baggy, and went down over my ankles. I came out, not looking at Kid. I was still mad at him. They said you could wear the stuff out if you paid for it. Kid held out a pair of flat slip-ons and socks. I slipped them on.

Kid placed a cute hat on me, with a checkered pattern on it. We went over to the accessories, quiet as the wind. I got a heart necklace, and a black and white checkered band. I got a black belt to go with my jeans. I got my old red ribbon that held my hair (Kid had held on to it for me) and tied it around my neck. I made a bow. I turned to look glare at Kid. He looked pleased, checking me over.

"Cute as a button." He winked at me. I felt my face go red. We paid for my clothes and left. I threw away my old kimono. I looked at Kid. He smiled back at me.

"I'm still mad at you."

"Whatever. My apology was that outfit. You're an expensive date." I couldn't help but blush. I hit his arm as hard as I could.

"_Cute as a button."_ His words echoed in my skull.

I felt as cute a button.

We finally got back to the dorms when it got dark out. The dorms were apartments where the meister and weapons live together. There were three floors. Kid was in room 8 (yet it was on the second floor). Perfectly symmetrical, he said.

When we got to his room, I kinda gawked again. Everything was placed symmetrically. The kitchen was in the back, counter's making an open square shape. The living room was next. There was no tv, but two couches up against each other with bookshelves on either side. There were two halls on either side. Each had two bedrooms and one bathroom, Kid explained.

Kid showed me to my room. It was on the left hall, second down to your right. There was a large queen sized bed there, with a million pillows. (Keep in mind this is all symmetrical.) There were no windows, and two bed stands stood on either side of the bed. There was a cabinet placed perfectly in the middle, opposite of the bed.

"Do you like it?" Kid asked. All I could do is nod. I walked over to the bed. I touched the covers. It was a checkered design, black and white. It was softer than kitty fur, too. I sat on it. It was pushed down against my weight. Heaven… I laid down and kicked my feet up. I spread my arms out. I laughed, enjoying the softness.

"Come on, let's go make dinner for Liz and Patty." Kid chuckled. I forgot he was here. I slowly got up and walked over to the kitchen with Kid. I was sort of dragged, though, because I was going so slow thinking about the bed, that Kid had grabbed my hand and walked me faster to the kitchen.

"You gotta make extras for Patty, she's a big eater." Kid reminded. I nodded.

"How about stir fry? We got the ingredients for it." I mumbled, looking at the assortments of spices and vegetables, pans and pots galore.

"Sure."

I was used to cooking for my family when Father was too drunk, Aki was too young to touch anything, (I was scared she'd burn herself,) and when Mother was too high. Kid did okay, but I eventually started helping him by flipping the stir fry better. (He tried to make it land symmetrically.)

"You're good at this." Kid laughed. "Where'd you learn it?"

I didn't answer. I just kept looking at the sizzling veggies and added more oil, making a big spurt of fire. As the cooking died down I noticed Kid kept glancing at my shoulder. It made me uncomfortable, seeing how he was able to see the black markings.

"Kid, we're home!" An older girl's voice suddenly appeared. The door opened, and two girls walked in. The first one was an older looking girl with a red shirt and jeans. Her eyes were a pretty blue, and went perfect with her long, straight, honey-colored hair. The second one that came in was shorter, but had a bigger chest, surprisingly. She wore the same things as her sister, except her jeans were bouncy crop shorts. Her short, sunshine color hair made her blue eyes shine.

I ducked under the counter. Just out of instinct. I would've hid from Kid and Shinigami when I met them, if not under the fact that I was in extreme pain.

"Alice?" Kid looked down. I looked up to meet his eyes. I gulped. _What if they don't like me? What if Kid doesn't like me because they don't like me?_ Kid was my first friend, I thought. At least I hoped so.

_My first friend?_

_I never had a friend._

_What did it feel like to have a friend?_

I thought of Aki.

"Who's Alice?" The older girl called. She seemed drawn to the food and sat on the counter. _Once she turned her head I'm found._ I crouched down lower.

"A friend of mine. She needed a place to stay so she's staying with us for a while. She's just shy." Kid crouched down with me and grabbed my collar. He picked me up. "Ta-da." He laughed, dangling me in the air. He's really strong…

"Kid's girlfriend! Kid's got a girlfriend!" The younger sister called. She made kissy faces. My face went pink. Kid still held me by my collar, laughing. _Aki's nothing like this… _I thought. I kicked my shin for thinking about that.

"She's just my friend, who's indeed a girl. She's the newest transfer student at the Academy." He finally set me down where I crouched back down, away from their eyesight. _What am I doing? I'm such an idiot! _

"We don't bite, Alice. Alice, was it?" The older sister hopped from the counter to the floor, and crouched down beside me. She held out her hand. "I'm Liz, this is Patty." Patty waved as she ran across the room. Liz smiled. Her smile made me less afraid. _She's so nice, I wish I had a partner like her…_ I got on my knees. I took her hand.

"I'm Alice..." I chuckled. Kid and Liz laughed. Patty was simply bawling her eyes out laughing.

"This is your cooking, Alice?" Liz asked. We finally all got settled down, and eating dinner on the two couches.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"It's so yummy! Where did you learn it from?" Liz asked.

"Uh…" I didn't know how to answer. Kid placed a hand on my shoulder, taking action.

"Alice really has no memories of her past besides her name. She remembers things here and there, like cooking recipes, but no memories." Liz looked at me, concerned.

"Oh, well I guess you're even more special than I thought!" Liz said happily. I turned my head to look at hers, grinning. When I turned back around Patty's upside-down face came inches between mine.

"Look, look, big sister!" Patty almost poked my eyeballs out. I used the block move by putting my hand in front of my nose to where her scissor fingers get stuck and don't touch my eyes.

"_Look, look big sister!" Aki's voice rang inside my head. _My head ached.

"What is it, Patty?"

"One of her eyes are purple, the other one is blue!" She hopped over back to her sister. "It's so pretty!"

"_It's so pretty, big sister!" Aki's voice came again._ I stopped eating. Kid stopped to look at me. My eyes went cloudy. _"Aki, forgive me!" "You're prettier than the fireworks and stars and bunnies combined!" "I love you, Mari!" "Aki… I'm sorry!" "Ma-ri… Mari! Mari!" "Where's my big sister? Who are you? Where's my sister?" "Aki… forget about me."_

"_Unlock your heart."_

"_No!"_

"_Sister?"_

I fell off the couch, onto my knees. It was like I was pushed. My plate rolled around the carpet. Stir fry burned my legs, I was practically sitting in it. I crouched down. I held my ears with my hands.

"Shut up… shut up, shut up, shut up…" I said quietly. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I said, louder.

"Sister… what's wrong?" Patty asked, worried. "Something's wrong with…" I couldn't hear her. I drowned Patty out with screams and moans.

"_Are you okay, sister?" "I'm fine." "You're bleeding…"_

_Suddenly, a boy's voice came in. _

"_Alice! Are you alright! You're bleeding!"_

_The mirror…_

'_Find the other half of your madness.' _

My blue eye burned. I closed my eyes.

"_Who are you?"_

"_Someone who doesn't want to see you hurt." _

"_Who are you?"_

"_I hate you!"_

"_Don't you trust me?"_

"_Sister…"_

"_Who are you?"_

"Augghhhh!" I screamed. "Who are you?"

I opened my eyes. I was sitting on the couch. My plate was in my lap. Patty and Liz were talking about shoes, and Kid was looking at me concerned.

"You okay?" Kid whispered. I nodded and went back to eating, slower, smaller bites. _What just happened to me? _I hid my face away from Kid. I knew a scared expression was carved into my face.

"So, Alice, have you met the whole gang yet?" Liz bonked my head with the back of her fist.

"She hasn't." Kid replied for me.

"Alright! Tomorrow, we go out with them! Get ready, Alice!" Liz got up and punched the air with her fist. She then walked over to get seconds. Patty followed.

"The whole gang? Soul… Maka… Tsubaki… Black*Star… Roxas?" I recited the names Kid told me.

"Yep, that's all of 'em." Patty chimed in.

I got up from my seat and walked over, past Liz and Patty. I placed my dish in the sink. I turned the water on.

"I'll get it, Alice." Liz and Kid said together. They glared at each other, secretly fighting who will be the better host.

"I can do it." The steaming water poured onto the plate. I got the sponge that was in the sink and started scrubbing. The boiling water didn't affect me, I was lost in deep thought to think of the burning.

"I'm gonna hit the hay, you boring people." Liz yawned. Patty yawned too.

"Nighty-night." Patty said as she dragged a sleepy Liz into their rooms. I was reading a book while Kid made the kitchen symmetrical again.

"Alice fell down the rabbit hole…" I whispered. I loved this storybook. Kid thought I was weird reading about someone with the same name as me, but I didn't care. I flipped through the pages. I had read several other books from his shelf, and they were scattered all around the couch

"Do you wanna take a shower before you go to bed?" Kid asked. He was walking toward me. I closed the book and nodded. _Yes, yes, oh God yes, a shower? How long has it been since I've been fully clean?_

"Follow me." I got up and followed Kid to the bathroom. He handed me a gray fluffy towel and bathrobe.

The bathroom had one spa shower in the back of the room, directly in the middle. A toilet was also aligned opposite of the shower, with more perfect symmetry. There were sinks too, in between the baths and toilets.

It was one big bathroom.

"Take your time." Kid said, and left me alone. I locked the door. I stripped myself of my new clothes and walked over to the shower. I turned the handle and the door flew open. I stepped in. I turned the knob that hung on the wall. I was enclosed in two shower heads spraying me on top, and three on the sides. It was pure heaven.

"I want to live here forever!" I said happily as I lathered my hair with expensive shampoo and conditioner. I washed my body with bubbly body wash. I fingered my curling black tattoos. A thought came to my head.

How can he PAY for this?

Well… Shinigami is his father… and he's the headmaster at the Academy… Hmm…

I put the thought aside. Suddenly I just stood there. I started to sing, like some people do when they're happy.

"Do not be afraid… your heart is here." I don't know why I remembered this song, the words I called out in rhythm as I walked the steps of the Academy.

"Do not worry, your heart is fine…" I stepped out of the shower. The robe was on the floor near my clothes. I walked over to it.

"You are your soul, I am your heart…"

The door opened. I didn't see it. I thought it was locked. I slowly bent down and grabbed my robe.

"For I have stolen your-" I stopped. I turned to look at the open door, and a frozen Kid.

"Uh… Alice… uh… you were in there for a long time so I thought… uh… you're… naked…" Kid sputtered. I took action. I screamed with all my might.

"You PERV!" I screamed. I put the robe over my shoulders and chest, then quickly walked over to him. He looked at me with wide eyes. I was about to kick him when he suddenly fell on the floor by himself. His nose was bleeding.

"Alice… naked… uh… Sorry…" I ran back, grabbed my clothes and stepped over a bleeding Kid. I kicked his head on my way out. I walked out and into the hall and into my room. I realized I had no pajamas, and I didn't want to bother Patty or Liz, they probably weren't my sizes anyway.

Kid was at my door, plugging his nose with tissues. "Sorry about that. You were in there for over an hour."

"Oh…" It felt like five minutes. "Sorry for kicking you." I stared at my bare feet.

"Do you have anything to change in to?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Stay here." He walked away. I sat on my soft bed. I suddenly realized my face was pink. Kid came back and tossed me a soft white shirt.

"It may be a little big." He turned around and held his hands to his eyes. I slipped off the robe and grabbed my underwear. I put it on and then the shirt. It was one of Kid's undershirts. It had his scent. It was a little big, it went all the way down to my mid-thighs. I buttoned up the shirt. I covered my tattoos.

"You can turn now." I called. I sat back down on my bed. He turned and walked over to examine me.

"Baggy, but still cute." He winked at me and sat down on the bed next to me. I was suddenly so tired I placed my head on his shoulder. He flinched a little.

"Alice, how old are you?" he suddenly asked.

"Why do you…" I yawned. "Ask?"

"Just wondering." I didn't see it, but his ears turned pink.

"13. You?"

"14."

His warmth felt nice. I wrapped my arms around his arm and squeezed him with all my might. He winced in embarrassment.

"What were those tattoos?"

My eyes widened, but quickly slumped back down tiredly. I couldn't understand his question properly.

"Tattoos of the older sister… in a Japanese family." I yawned. I didn't know why I was telling him this… I just felt warm and safe.

"But I thought they stopped that a long time ago. Plus, I thought it was for twins only, but they have them for firstborns too? I don't get it…"

"My family was descendants of one of the Great Families. It was required, even though we stopped the practice of our family's art many generations ago." I closed my eyes.

"Oh." We sat there in silence for a long time.

"Kid…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." My arms drooped. I opened my eyes. I closed them again. I felt my head fall forward, but Kid caught me and placed me under the covers.

"No… thank you… friend."

**A/N Hahaha... I have my first fan! She's literally yelling at me when the next chapter will be out. Soooo I had to post it today! Ugh... I really wanna post the cool thing that's coming up BUT it's a good 2 other chapters away. . DUN DUN DUN CLIFFHANGER! But yeah... REVIEW! I NEED criticism! Please don't go easy on me, the harsher the better! -Soul**


	4. Meeting Everyone!

_I was on the platform, sitting in a chair. I wore the white dress. I was drinking tea with my shadow self in the mirror._

"_So he saw you naked?" My shadow laughed. I could see her eyes now. They were red. Everything else was dark._

"_Yep." I said. I sipped my tea. It tasted watery, but I still drank it. _

"_Did you kick him?"_

"_You bet I did." _

"_But you ended up hugging him in his shirt. It's love." My shadow chuckled. I glared at her._

"_You know why I'm here." I said coldly. I wanted answers._

"_To investigate me, I know."_

"_Good. First off, who are you?"_

"_I'm you. You're darkness, the one thing you keep locked up in your heart." Suddenly the mirror flashed, and I saw everything of her. She wore the same dress I did, only it was black. Her hair was a pretty silvery-white. She had black bunny ears, with a white tail. The chair was gone, and she was floating in mid-air, her legs crossed, in a sitting position._

"_Why is my eye blue?" _

"_You got stabbed. It turned color." She shrugged._

"_It's more than that."_

"_You're madness has blue eyes." Aki appeared. But only half of her. The other half was shadowed in darkness. She disappeared. The shadow reformed, still floating._

"_How is Aki involved in this?"_

"_Isn't it obvious, Himari?"_

"_Shut up."_

"_You even started a new beginning filled with lies."_

"_Shut up."_

"_Just saying."_

"_Who's the other half?"_

"_You'll meet him tomorrow."_

"_Him? Tomorrow? So it has to be either Soul, Black*Star, or Roxas."_

"_Yep. I get to come out soon." She stood up from her flying invisible chair. She dropped the cup. Her teacup shattered. She placed her hands on the mirror. Like liquid, she stuck her hand straight through. She grabbed my collar. The mirror was like a giant water block. Ripples appeared. Sparks flew. She flew her hand back to her own world. I straightened my black tie. Since when did I have a black tie?_

"_See?" She winked at me._

"_What's your name?"_

"_Alice. Or Himari." Suddenly she had a knife. She cut her palm. I winced. I felt it too. I looked at mine. It bled._

"_We're connected, Himari. That's why we have the same name."_

"_So you're never gonna leave? Boo, you're boring." I said casually. I wiped my hand against the mirror. It was solid again._

_The shadow bent and licked the place I wiped my blood on. I saw that the blood was being licked away on my side. _

_I spoke. "What can I call you?"_

_She looked up. "Rabbit will do. Or…" she stood up. "The True Alice of the Mirror." _

"_Himari, then."_

"_Alright." Himari sat down. _

"_What's it like, being insane?" I asked._

"_It tastes sweet. Like blood. But you're blind, like you're blindfolded." She yawned. "You knows what that's like, huh."_

"_I see." I stood up. Cherry blossoms were falling behind me. Glass shards fell behind the shadow. "Can I wake up now?" _

"_Sure." Himari snapped her fingers._

"She's waking up! Sister, she's finally waking up!" I heard Patty's voice near. I opened my eyes. Liz was standing over me with a plate in her hand, grinning like a fool. Patty was bouncing on the bed.

"Patty, stop bouncing. Good morning, sleeping beauty." I sat up. Bacon and eggs wafted into my nose. Liz placed the plate on my lap.

"You didn't have to do this, guys." I said. Bacon, eggs, toast with jam, and a cut up apple.

"Sorry if you don't eat healthy. Kid makes us eat super healthy junk." Patty said.

"It's a thank you for the dinner and a welcome to your temporary home." Liz said, and sat down on the bed beside me. "Isn't that Kid's shirt?" she asked, pointing.

"Oh yeah… I had no pajamas, so I stole one of Kid's shirts. I was going ask you guys but I didn't wanna disturb you."

"You're really a sweetheart." Liz smiled at me. I smiled back. I ate everything on my plate. It's been a long time since I've had a decent meal. I always gave my food to Aki to make sure she'd get enough, then eat her leftovers.

"Put on the clothes you had on yesterday… they were hot." Liz smiled, twirling her hair. "We're going out to meet up with everyone in about an hour, so get ready."

"Sister, let me do her hair!" Patty said loudly. I nibbled on my last piece of toast.

"Nom nom nom…" I said quietly.

"You nom while you eat?" Liz chuckled.

My face went red. "It's a habit of mine." We all laughed.

"Sis! Let me do Alice's hair! It's so soft and shiny and long!" Patty whined, fingering my messy black strands.

"Not unless Alice is okay with it."

"I'm fine. Just don't cut it."

"Okay!" Patty literally grabbed me by my wrists (I was holding the plate, thankfully,) and dragged me into the bathroom. Liz grabbed my clothes, (I put them on the floor beside my bed.) and followed.

"Sis, no tangles!" Patty combed through my hair furiously. She had an evil gleam in her eyes. She got a pretty blue ribbon and tied it around my hair. My hair looked pretty pulled up in a ponytail like that. She then parted my bangs to where they fell over my right eye partially. 'Kid will be so displeased!' she laughed.

I went into the corner of the bathroom and put on my clothes. As I put on my shirt, Liz asked,

"What size are you?" she said nonchalantly.

"What?" I pulled up my jeans.

"Bust size, I mean. Just curious." Liz was brushing Patty's hair.

"Uh… I dunno…"

"Right, you're memories. Well I checked for you." She turned her head and winked at me. "Big B cup."

"Nice to know… Crazy person." I stuck my tongue out at her. I buckled my black belt. I slipped on my flats. Put on my bracelet band. Then my heart necklace.

"Hat or no hat?" I asked, walking over to them, Patty was dancing while Liz put on lipstick.

"Lemme see." Liz grabbed my hat and my ponytail. She pulled the pony through the small opening in the back of the hat. I looked in the mirror. I never looked so pretty before in my life. So clean. So well dressed. I smiled at my reflection.

"Want some?" Liz handed me a small, heavy bag full of make-up.

"No thanks."

"Hey… are your ears pierced?" Patty said.

Before Aki was born, when Mother and Father wasn't high or drunk, we once went to a salon. I got my ear pierced, my left one. Mother wanted both of them pierced, while Father didn't want me to get them at all. I compromised and got one.

"I don't know." I checked my earlobe. I only had one earring, a pretty pearl, but Mother took it away to sell it. Surprisingly, the hole was still there.

"Here! It suits you!" Patty threw a small earring at me. I grabbed it. It was a blue, four-pointed star. I put it in.

"Ow, damn!" I said once I finally got it in. It dangled. I cocked my head. It turned and twisted.

"You're so beautiful, I could simply die!" I turned my head to the voice. So did the sisters. Kid was standing at the doorway. He was laughing. "Come on, let's get going, you unsymmetrical beings."

Me, Kid, Liz, and Patty were walking down the sidewalk towards the park, where everyone would meet up. Liz and Patty were talking about clothes and food. Kid and I were behind them, being as silent as mice. I had my hands in my pockets, dragging my feet.

"You don't have a partner, right Alice?" Patty asked. She turned her head to look at me. Patty looked adorable.

"No."

"You a weapon?"

"Meister."

"Cool!" She walked backwards now, grabbing my hands from my pockets and jumping them up and down. "I hope you never get a partner, because then you can stay with us and I can do your hair and you can cook yummy food!"

I laughed. Patty laughed. Soon Liz and Kid were laughing.

"What are you guys giggling about?" A voice called from up ahead. I looked. Two people were walking towards us. I wiggled my way out Patty's hands and walked closely behind Kid.

The voice came from a girl, with sandy-blonde hair in two pigtails. Her eyes were an emerald green. She wore the school uniform, and had a book in her right hand.

The boy next to her was slouching, dragging his feet with his hands in his pockets, like what I was doing before. His spiky white hair looked abnormal next to his crimson red eyes. Another thing… his teeth were small spikes, not like regular teeth, as I could see in his scowl. He wore a baggy gray shirt and baggy jeans with sneakers.

"Ah, Maka, Soul!" Liz called. "There's someone I want you to meet." She turned her head. "Where's Alice?"

"Being shy!" Patty grabbed my wrists and dragged me from behind Kid. I noticed I was being dragged an awful lot lately.

I whimpered like a dog. I was in front of Liz and Patty, and directly in front of Soul and Maka. I was taller than Maka, but Soul's hair out-stood me.

"Hi, I'm Maka!" Maka said happily. She reminded me of Shinigami. Maka stuck out her hand. I weakly grabbed hers and shook it.

"Soul." The boy nodded at me. My face flushed. He was handsome. I bowed slightly.

"Nice… nice to meet you two… I'm Alice." I quickly walked backwards and behind Liz.

"Geez, you're shy, Alice!" Liz stepped aside, showing me again. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders to make sure I didn't go anywhere. "Have you guys seen the other three?"

Maka and Soul started walking with us. I was kept in the front. I dug my hands deep in my pockets.

Maka replied. "Nope. I called Tsubaki, and she said that the three of them would probably be by the fountain."

"Good, we were just heading over there!"

I whispered to Liz. "I don't want to meet new people… Just… leave me here, on the sidewalk! I'll be fine!" Liz's grip on my shoulder became tighter.

"You've never had a fun day in your life, so shut up and enjoy the ride!" As if on that command, Patty interlocked arms with me on my right, Liz doing the same on my left. Liz winked at Maka, and she went around behind me and put out her hands on my back.

"Oh dear Shinigami help me!" I whined to Kid as they took off at full speed with me in tow.

The girls had just ran away with Alice, so it was just me and Soul walking.

"So how did you meet Alice?" Soul asked coolly.

"Promise not to tell anyone else." I straightened my tie. I trusted Soul enough to explain her story.

"Whatever, I won't tell."

"Me and Father found Alice walking up the stairs to the Academy. She fainted and we helped her to the office. She has no memories of her past besides her own name." Soul stared me, flabbergasted. I didn't dare tell him anything else.

"Kid, you're joking, right?"

"No."

"Damn…"

"Make sure Maka doesn't ask too many questions, Alice can't really deal with it, the whole memory thing."

"Okay. Come on, let's catch up with them."

I was sitting on the edge of the fountain, my eyes rolling. We barely ran two blocks. I was so dizzy.

Everyone beside me was panting. "Let's do it again!" Patty said. "My nice shoes are ruined!" Liz whined. Maka was sweating, but she was reading the book she carried. I leaned over.

"Alice in Wonderland." She said out loud, telling me what she was reading.

"I love that book!" I smiled at her. She looked up.

"Have you ever read Shakespeare?"

_Remember. You have no memories._ I shook my head. "Shakespeare?" I used to always take Aki to the library to read. We weren't allowed to check anything out, (we had no Library ID cards) but it was fun. I read a million books there, simply out of curiosity.

Liz chimed in. "Maka, be nice. She really doesn't have any memories, except her name."

"Oh… sorry." Maka sighed. I felt bad, lying to them.

"But I do like reading." I said quickly. I counted off the books I was reading at Kid's house yesterday. "Alice Through The Looking Glass. Alice in Wonderland. Soul Power for Meisters…"

"By the way, are you a meister or weapon?" Maka asked. "I'm a meister!"

"I'm a meister too." I said. "Kid told me that the sisters are twin pistols."

"Yeah, Kid has a symmetry addiction." Maka chuckled.

"I've seen it." I laughed.

"Hey, don't leave us!" It was Kid's voice. Kid and Soul were walking towards us. Soul was giving me a concerned look. I gave him a confused look in return.

"Where's Black*Star and the others?" Soul asked.

"Yahoo! Has my fellow servants find another peasant to bow down to my amazingness?" A peppy voice came in from above.

"Black*Star, no!" Maka suddenly yelled. But it was too late. I looked up to see a spiky blue-haired boy on top of the fountain with a pair of chain sickles. I saw he had a star tattoo on his right shoulder. But that was all I could get before-

Suddenly I was wrapped in chains. Yells were heard. The wind was whipping my ears. I couldn't see. My hat fell off.

I was in midair, wrapped in chains, by none other than Black*Star! He didn't even know me! Why is he doing this? Blood rushed into my head.

"Black*Star! Put her down!" Soul yelled.

"No! She must prove her worth in my presence! She must free herself!" I looked around. No one was around besides us. Thank God, they could've called the cops on us if they did. I squirmed.

Suddenly Soul's arm raised. It flashed white. His right arm became a black and red spiked scythe blade. He cut at the chains. They broke, and I loosened, but more came and held me tighter. It squeezed the life out of me. I coughed for air.

"Yahoo!" Black*star yelled. His grip on the sickles loosened. I freed my arms from the chains. He gripped the weapon again. The air whooshed out of me. I stuck my hand out. Soul grabbed it with his human arm. Suddenly he transformed into a long-handled scythe. I turned it and hit the blade against the chain connecting me to the sickles. I fell, but I used the butt of the handle to catapult myself onto my feet. I turned, and Black*Star came at me. I jumped back, and landed close to Kid.

"Little help here?" I sidestepped just as chains flew at me.

"Liz, Patty!" Liz and Patty flew into Kid's hands as twin pistols. He held them with his pinkies. He shot at the blue-haired boy. I threw the scythe to Maka. She grabbed it and spun it. She got the chains wrapped around the blade. She yanked on it.

Black*Star went flying. He was coming right at me. I clenched my fist. I stuck it out and punched him in the stomach. Purple sparks flew out of my hand. I pulled it away quickly. _What the?_ Black*Star flew into the fountain.

"What the _crap_?" I yelled, staring at my hand. It seemed normal enough. Black*Star's head popped from the fountain. He was soaking wet. There was a girl sitting beside the fountain. She was very tall, with long black hair up in a high ponytail. She wore a white summer dress. I figured she was Tsubaki.

I was right. "You passed! Tsubaki! That was amazing!" Black*Star yelled.

Everyone was in there human form now. "Alice, are you okay?" Soul asked. I nodded. Why is he being so concerned? I guessed he was just that type of guy.

"What happened?" I asked.

Soul sighed. "Black*Star got dropped on his head a few times when he was a baby."

"Yahoo! You!" Black*Star pointed at me. "You pass! You're worthy to be my friend! What's your name?"

I stepped back. I bumped into Maka.

"She's Alice." Maka said loudly to Black*Star. "Now apologize to her!"

"No!"

"It's quite alright. I'm fine…" I whispered.

"Black*Star usually isn't this stubborn." Tsubaki got up and bowed. "I'm sorry I chained you up. He's just my meister…"

"It's alright!" I interrupted her. "In fact, it was quite fun! You're Tsubaki, right?"

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Alice." She smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back. I didn't understand, their personalities were as different as black and white.

"Forgetting someone?" Another voice called out. I turned my head to see a tall boy walking towards us with Pocky chocolate in his mouth. He shook the box. I gawked. His eyes were a dark misty blue, with his dark brown, partially spiky, messy hair in his face. He wore a red t-shirt with dark jeans. He wore flat sneakers. He had black and white rings on his right hand.

I hugged Maka's arm tightly. He was handsome.

Maka tapped my head and spoke. "Roxas, just in time! This is Alice!"

He looked at me. "Hey. Want some?" Roxas shook the box of Pocky. I let go of Maka's arm and slowly walked over. Roxas was over near Tsubaki. I grabbed one and placed it in my mouth. It tasted like dark chocolate. I only had chocolate a few times in my life, but I remembered its sweetness. I didn't know what to do, this was kinda awkward.

"Thank you." I said quietly. Roxas smiled. I blushed. I quietly slipped away and went back over to hide behind Liz.

"You're shy." Roxas walked over to the group. So did the other two.

"Let's get something to eat!" Patty suggested.

"Sounds good." I replied quietly. "Just as long as I don't get dragged."

"We have Tsubaki here, you won't get dragged." Liz said evilly.

"You get carried!" Patty grabbed my right arm, Liz got my left. Maka grabbed my right leg while Tsubaki grabbed my left.

"One, two, three!" I was suddenly picked up and carried mid-air.

"Put, me, down! Now! Please! Kid? Please!" I whimpered as they carried me to who knows where. The boys followed. "Not again!"

While the new girl got carried off, I was asked questions by Soul.

"So… Roxas." Soul said casually.

"Yeah?" I said.

"You never offered us Pocky." Soul chuckled. "You got a thing for Alice?"

I laughed. "I was just being homely. Geez, I just met the chick." I really don't know why I offered her my candy, just seemed the most natural thing to do. I never gave away my precious Pocky to anyone else, though. She was very pretty, I could say that much. Maybe that's why? I took note that she was very shy and quiet. But… I felt something else.

She seemed familiar.

We were sitting at a café, the boys finally caught up. I finished my Pocky. I had gotten through telling the girls not to ever do that again. It was about two o'clock when we got our lunch.

I got a ham and cheese omelet. It was absolutely yummy. I took small bites, savoring the flavor. Everyone talked and laughed and ate. I stayed quiet, however, sipping water and slowly eating my food. I was in a daze, eating and staring out the clear window.

Suddenly…

Darkness.


	5. A New Battle Strategy!

It sickened me to the bone.

_Is this…?_

I stopped eating. I was on the end of the table. I slipped out.

"Where ya going, Alice?" Maka asked. Patty looked at me.

"Nowhere." I bowed slightly and walked towards the main door. I made sure no one was looking at me as I walked out.

I slammed up against the wall. The darkness was still there. _How could no one else feel it?_ I closed my eyes. I tried sense where it was coming from. I remember reading a book at Kid's house. Kishin come out of the blue sometimes, when very bad people transform into monsters, they are called Kishin. They give off a madness that strong meisters feel. I'm a strong enough meister to sense it? Cool…

Where is it… where… suddenly, I felt it. In the alley way, near the café. I just knew it. I started to run. _What am I doing? I need to get help from the others!_ But I didn't want them to get hurt. What happened with Black*Star… my fist shooting out sparks… him flying… that was Soul Drive, a move where meisters give off waves of soul energy from their body. It happens when they have no partner at hand, and they use their body as a weapon. My fist was a hammer, I guessed.

I turned down a random alleyway. The darkness had gotten stronger. A shadow turned to look at me. Its red eyes gleamed. It reminded me of Himari. I straightened my arm, like a sword. I hoped it would work or I was screwed. I slashed at the darkness. Sure enough, a purple slash mark appeared from my arm and out towards the monster. It yelped in pain.

The shadow now took form. It had the legs of a regular person, but its stomach, chest, shoulders, and arm were puffed out and bulging like a balloon ready to pop. A chill was sent up my spine. I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

It attacked.

It lunged for me. I jumped onto the wall to my left. I ran.

"I'm… running… on a wall! Whoo-whooo!" I yelled, mimicking Black*Star. I turned my head. The Kishin ran into the dirt, and it was now shaking its head, wondering where its meal went. It spotted me. I jumped off the wall, and landed on the rough ground. I only made a good twenty feet gap between us. I raised both my arms. I stuck my hands out like guns. I pushed my thumbs down, and sure enough, purple shots came from the tips of my extended fingers.

"Bang!" I whispered to my own pleasure. The monster yelled. I laughed. _This is so easy! Hahaha! _I didn't understand why I enjoyed fighting this monster, but I just did.

I stopped firing. I blew on the end of my finger. I smirked at the monster, and winced. It was still there, barely made a dent in his arm that he used as a shield. It came out of its daze and came right at me. It was so fast, I couldn't react in time. All I could do was close my eyes tight and raise my arms up to protect my head. As if that helped.

The Kishin slapped me away with the back of his giant paw. I was thrown up against the wall. Something fell across my head. A brick? I slid down, and landed on my knees. I felt so dizzy. I couldn't stand up...

I opened my eyes. The Kishin's eyes were the only thing clear to me. My head ached worse than the times Father pulled my hair.

The monster's fist was raised, directly in front of me. This is it. The fist lunged toward me. I closed my eyes.

"Move!" A voice called. I was suddenly wrapped in a pair of arms. I felt dirt on my back.

_I was pushed out of the way?_

_By who?_

"Roxas?" I opened my eyes. Sure enough, the messy-haired kid was sitting me up, brushing dirt off our clothes. He had risked himself by pushing me out of the way. He didn't look hurt though. Thank God.

"Stupid!" Was all Roxas said. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!" He felt my forehead. He kept the palm of his hand hidden from me. I didn't care. I knew what it was.

"Help me up." I grabbed his arm as he got up. He lifted me to my feet.

"You're too weak to take on a Kishin this size." Roxas glanced at it. "That's way strong Kishin."

"Shut up... You're a weapon, right?" I held my hand out in front of his chest. Roxas hesitated, wondering whether or not to take it. "Take my hand!" I said loudly. He didn't think twice. He grabbed my hand. Suddenly, his body flashed white. I threw him up in the air. When the weapon came back down I caught it. Upside-down.

I smirked. Roxas was a katana.

An energy I had never felt before rushed into me. It was coming from Roxas. I heard humming, and I knew it was the sound of his soul.

I rolled as the thing lunged at me again. I ran along his wide arm and cut at his shoulder. It yelped in pain. I was thrown off. I landed on my feet. The Kishin grabbed it's bleeding shoulder. Roxas's face flashed in the blade, like a mirror.

"Find it's weak point!" He called out to me. I nodded. I looked around for a sign, anything.

I dodged again as he threw his chest out, trying to pin me. The dodging and running started to take toll on me. I gripped the sword better.

"_You can use some of the madness to beat it, if you want." The shadow's voice called into my head. "But only half of it, of course. Unless…" She thought for a moment._

"_No." The shadow laughed manically. _

"_Whatever. Don't die." The shadow pretended her hand was a gun. She held her hand out to the side of her head. "Bang." Everything went black._

I looked at its head. I saw a shimmer, directly in the middle of its forehead.

"You see it?" I called out to Roxas.

"Yep. Let's finish this."

The Kishin's fist got stuck in a wall as it attempted to hit me. As it struggled, I ran along the arm again and jumped onto its head.

"Gross." I said. I drove the blade into his forehead. It yelled. I jumped back. It froze as it kinda exploded. All that was left of it was a red ball and dust. The wind picked the dust up and carried it away forever.

"Good job." Roxas was in his human form, grabbing the red ball. He swallowed it.

"Gross." I repeated.

"Haha, not as good as Pocky." Roxas laughed. I smiled at him.

My knees could no longer stand. I fell forward, time standing still.

"Alice!" Roxas grabbed me, holding me in an awkward embrace. "Damn, you took a good blow to the head." He picked me up, bridal style. "Come on."

"Mnn…" I closed my eyes. I couldn't help it. I felt cold compared to Roxas's warmth. I could still hear his soul beating. My head was in the nook if his chest. I felt safe. I smiled before everything went black.

"Oh my Shinigami!" Liz exclaimed as she ran over to touch Alice's forehead. 'What the hell happened to you two?" Everyone soon crowded around me and the fainted girl I held in my arms. She was lighter than a feather.

"Alice ran into a Kishin. A big one, at that."

"Is she going to be okay?" Patty asked. She grabbed and shook Alice's limp hand.

"I don't know. She's unconscious, but she's still breathing." Thank God for that. When she went limp as I carried her I thought the worse. I don't know why, but when I thought she was gone I felt more scared than ever in my life.

Kid was in front of her, checking her pulse and her head. "No big deal, really. She lost a lot of blood, but nothing fatal." He sighed a sigh of relief. I did the same. "I better take her home." He attempted to take her out of my arms. I let him, but I felt empty as I did so.

"Damn, she's light." Kid heaved her up onto his back, giving her a piggyback ride. "Well, this went out on a bad note."

Everyone looked spaced out.

Black*Star and Tsubaki left first. They have a more Japanese home on the hillside just outside town. They waved and walked away. Soul and Maka had left on Soul's motorcycle. Me, Kid, Liz, Patty, and Alice walked towards the dorms. Liz and Patty were in front while Kid carried Alice with me following.

"Hey, Roxas." Kid said quietly.

"Yeah?" I glanced at him.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I got a Pocky from my pocket and placed it in my mouth.

"For saving Alice. You were the first one who noticed something was wrong." Memories came back. Soon after Alice left the café I heard a Kishin screaming, so I left the café to find Alice. If I had gotten there any later, Alice would've died. I remembered her sitting there, bleeding, looking so frail and helpless. I remembered how easily she swung me. I felt my soul resonate with hers. No one was ever able to use my weapon form, or the electricity that came when out of tuned partners linked would burn us.

"It's nothing." We were at the dorms. I was on the same floor as Kid's, so we walked slowly up the stairs.

"Alice?" Kid blinked. I looked. She was squirming. Her eyes were clamped shut. Beads of sweat trickled down her face. She must be having a nightmare.

"Stop! Stop!" I was in a locked box. Black ooze seeped in through the keyhole. The light the hole gave through went black. The glue stuck to my legs. I freaked out, screaming and squirming.

"Scary, huh?" I was on the floor, the shadow laughing, floating in the air.

"What the?" I crawled to the mirror, and placed my hands on the glass. It was cold.

"Shush, shush, no need to be scared." The shadow was on the ground next to me. She placed her hands on the mirror too. I noticed we were both wearing white gloves.

I was crying. "What was that?"

"Your wonderful imagination."

"Why am I here?"

"You ask so many questions. You fainted."

"Oh." Memories flooded. "Who's the other half of my darkness, then?" I remembered what she said last time.

Himari pointed to her red eyes. They reminded me of Soul. "The eyes."

"Black*Star's were a dark green…" I recalled out loud. Himari nodded. "Soul's were red…" She smirked. "So that means…" Himari cackled.

"…Roxas…" Alice whispered. We were at my door, Kid still carrying her, when she called out my name.

"Huh?" Kid turned his head. Her expression was calmer now. She looked like she was sleeping in a blissful dream.

"Awkward." I said. Kid nodded. Liz and Patty had gone ahead of us to their dorms.

I had my hand on the door handle.

"May I come in?" Kid asked.

"Sure?" I turned it and headed inside. My small apartment. A kitchen to my left, with a table in the middle. Ahead of me was a hall and to the right of that was the living room. A tv, bookshelf, couch, and a window, I felt perfectly at home.

Kid set Alice down on the couch. He went into the bathroom and came out with a wet cloth. He began dabbing the blood and sweat away from her.

"So what's the deal with her?" I asked. I sat down at the table.

"What do you mean?"

"You've obviously known her longer than me. She seems distant, and she's always daydreaming."

"She's quiet all right." Kid said. "She's always in a daze, thinking, yeah."

"No. I mean she's different."

"She has no memories." He stopped cleaning her to stare at me. I looked at him, then at the sleeping Alice. "How did you guys beat the Kishin?"

"She can match my soul wavelength." I sighed. I never really thought about it until now.

"I see." Kid went back to cleaning her face. I watched in a daze as I ate Pocky.

'Roxas.' A voice came into my head.

'What?' I whispered.

'Get away from me…'

"What?" I said quietly.

'Please…'

"Roxas?" Kid asked.

"Huh?" I came out of my odd conversation.

"You're acting like Alice." Kid laughed. He was rinsing out the cloth at the sink. Alice's face was clean.

"Hmm."


	6. My Mall Trip!

"Ugh…" I sat up slowly, my hand rubbing my aching forehead. My head was pounding. Memories slowly came back. I was on a couch in an unfamiliar room. I turned my head. This wasn't Kid's dorm.

"Where am I?" I shook myself completely awake. I stood. I stumbled forward. The floor was spinning. I sat back down. My head pounded. Slowly, I crept my way to the kitchen. I noticed there was a teapot sitting on the burner. I looked into it. There was tea in it, the bags hanging out of the pot. I turned on the burner. I sat down on the low counter.

Where am I? I wondered. I noticed there were drawings all over the place. Even on the counters. I grabbed one and looked at it. It was of a cherry blossom tree, and the petals falling gently in the wind. It was beautiful.

I remembered when I used to draw. I considered myself an okay drawer. I'd just draw flowers, or little doodles on scrap paper.

The kettle screamed. I placed it off the burner. The sound banged in my ears. I searched for cups. Thankfully there were tea cups in the cabinets. I poured my tea and walked over to the table and sat down. The drink felt good on my parched throat.

I stared at the drawings. There was one of the sun, the moon, a smiling kid, a balloon, the sky, the grass, and one of a shimmering lake. I looked at them in awe. I noticed there were big stacks of blank paper and pencils all over. I grabbed a sheet and pencil and began doodling.

I drew a camellia flower swaying in the wind. I hated it. It was trash compared to the other drawings. I crumpled it up and threw it behind me. I drank my tea.

I heard the sound of paper crumbling. "This is really good." I sat straight up. I turned my head to see a sleepy Roxas. He wore a wrinkled white shirt with black pajama bottoms.

"Uh…" I didn't know what to say. So this is his house?

"Oooh, tea." He walked over and grabbed a cup and the pot. He poured some and came over to sit on the other chair. He looked at me and gave me a sleepy smile.

"R-Roxas! Why, are you here?"

"This is my house, duh." He stretched.

"What am I doing here?"

"After you fainted Kid took you here to clean your wound. He left you here since you were passed out on the couch."

"Oh." He's so caring. I smiled softly at the thought of the symmetry-addicted boy's kindness.

"By the way," Roxas rushed into the hall. He came out with my checkered hat. "I believe this is yours."

"Oh… thank you." I smiled at him while I reached for it. He pulled his hand back. I frowned at him.

"I need to talk to you." He sat down. I looked at him and sipped my tea slowly.

Roxas spoke slowly. "When I met you… You were able to match wavelengths with me." I looked at him.

"Huh?"

"You." I said seriously. I'm not good with this… "When I met you… You were able to match wavelengths with me."

Alice raised her head. "Huh?" She said softly.

I sighed. "I don't know what I'm going on about, but I'm serious." She looked at me sadly, it pained me.

"Your head must be playing tricks on you." Alice said slowly. The girl lowered her head. She stared at my drawings.

"Are these yours?"

"Yes."

"They're pretty." Alice said. She's trying to get me off the subject. She put her face in her hands. "I have such a headache."

Silence…

Alice looked up. She looked different. Both of her eyes were purple. I thought one was blue?

I saw her blue eye again. I held my hand out towards her. She hesitated. I noticed her black and white band matched my rings. Alice shook her head. Her hands covered her ears now.

Alice closed her eyes and turned her face down yet again.

"My head's hurting…" She said, her voice strained. I reached out towards her and touched her arm. She flinched away.

"I'm sorry." Alice whispered. She stood up and ran out. She opened the door and slammed it shut.

"Alice…" I stared at her drawing I still had in my hand. The flower was smeared.

I ran outside, out of the dorms. The fresh air soothed my headache.

"_Hahaha!" Himari yelled into the mirror. I was on the floor, screaming. I was crying, the tears spilling onto my white dress._

"_When he said that… my head started to explode…" Himari laughed harder._

_I banged against the glass. "Why?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_That's what scares me!" I turned around to see a menacing sight. The red heart was completely covered in blackness. _

"_Hmm…" Himari stuck her gloved hand out into the mirror. It turned into water again. She dropped a blue rose onto my lap. _

"_What's this?"_

"_Thought you like flowers. Sorry." Himari sat down with her back against the mirror. "I can feel your sadness, too, you know."_

"_Everything's been happening so fast… I'm not sure what I'm feeling."_

"_Yeah, like that's new."_

_I placed my hands against the window. It was solid again. I dropped my forehead against the cold wall._

"_Why can't I go through the mirror like you?"_

"_I can come out as a shadow. You're light, you'll burn my world to dust." Himari stopped laughing._

"_Oh."_

I was sitting on a bench, panting hard. My head had stopped pounding.

"Damn. Why did I run away like a little girl?" I stared at my shadow. I saw red eyes and an evil smirk.

"Hey… this dimension's nice." Himari said.

"Crap, now you follow me everywhere." I laughed. Her grin grew.

"Sucks to be you, but it sucks more to be me. I can't go anywhere unless you go. Plus this grin will always be on my face. I'm only a mere shadow… a replica." I thought I heard a hint of sadness.

"Hmmm…" I said. "Can other people see you?"

"If they pay attention, the can see my eyes and mouth, but they can't hear me."

"So it'll seem like I'm just talking to myself?"

"Yep."

"Are you still in the mirror?"

"Yep."

"Hey Alice!" I turned my head towards the voice. It was Liz and Patty. They waved big waves then came over to me. "How's your head?" Patty asked.

"Fine."

"Good, good."

"Kid said you spent the night at Roxas's house?" Liz asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Is that the only outfit you have?" Liz poked my shoulder, sitting down next to me. Patty sat down on the other side. She squeezed my arm.

"Yeah, so?" I looked at my clothes. They were dirty, plus really wrinkled. I noticed my ribbon was out of my hair. I took my old red one from my neck and tied up my black mess.

"Come on, you need to go on a shopping spree." Liz tugged on my other arm, pulling me up. Patty followed, twisting and dangling my star earring.

"Oh goodie! I get to change out of these ugly clothes?"

I thought in my head. "You thought that crazy puffy black dress was fashionable?"

"Hey, I can hear you in your head! Cool!" She cackled. "And yes, it's very cute for me! So is yours, except you look like a bride."

I smiled. "You're crazy." I thought.

"Whatever. Hey, you know you can dismiss me if you want, but I'm good company."

"Eh? Why are you telling me this?" I looked at her red eyes.

"I'm supposed to?" Himari yawned. "Just think of me back in the mirror, and I can't talk or look through your shadow." Suddenly, the eyes and mouth disappeared. I laughed inside my head.

"You suck." Himari said.

"Peace and quiet, just what I need!" I laughed. My headache completely disappeared.

"How about this?" Liz held up a white tank-top. I frowned at it. They'd see my markings.

"I don't mind having one outfit." I chuckled. I really didn't care.

"Ew!" Liz whined, disgusted at the thought. She grabbed a million shirts and jeans and shoved them at me. I stumbled back into a curtain. I was in the dressing room. I tried on everything, showing Liz and Patty. They bought me three outfits, a white summer dress, a simple black tee with a white jacket and jeans, and the school uniform.

"What's your favorite color, Alice?" Liz asked. We were sitting down next to long tables, licking ice creams. (Patty's idea.) Patty got chocolate, Liz got low fat chocolate, and I got French vanilla. It's better than regular vanilla, Liz said.

"Why do you ask?" I licked away at the melting sweets.

"I don't know." She looked away from me.

"Purple." I replied nonchalantly.

"Okay."

"When's your birthday?" Patty's ice cream smeared face came close to mine.

"Uh…"

"Oh… no memories." She pretended to cry.

"Think of one." Liz offered.

"Hmmm…" I thought of a good date. My real birthday was May 21st. Aki's was April 6th.

"June 19th." That was the best day of my life. Me and Aki went to the beach. We went by ourselves, and it was our first (and only) time there, but we had so much fun.

"Why?" Liz asked.

"I remember water." I said, trying to look as if I was thinking hard.

"The beach?"

"I guess."

"Muahahaha…" Patty and Liz laughed evilly. I stared at them.

"Okay…"

We walked over to the electronics store. I was getting a cell phone!

"_Are you sure? They're so expensive."_

"_Dude, we're like… loaded!" Patty exclaimed. _

"_Yeah… Kid's dad and all." Liz explained._

"I've never had a phone before…" I said, looking and pushing random buttons on the keypads.

I ended up choosing a green and pink phone. That's all I could say about it. I flipped it open and closed, looking at the default background. I got a cherry blossom keychain to go with it. It dangled like my earring.

"Here's how you take pictures…" Patty showed me a button on the side. She then pushed the big home button. The flash turned on, and she took a picture of our shoes. I laughed. I loved pictures. For the background I ended up taking a picture of me, Patty, and Liz together near a store.

As I fiddled with my new accessory, Liz and Patty went off ahead of me towards another store. After looking around near stores, I sat down on a bench. I sighed. I was lost. I stuck my phone in my pocket.

I shook the box I had in my hand. As if a thank you to Roxas, I got him a double pack of Pocky. I was trying to think of what to get Kid, for letting me stay at his home and everything.

_I wonder what he's doing. I hope he's not mad at me…_

"Hey, Alice!" A voice called.

"Hmm?" I saw Maka and Soul standing before me. Maka was smiling. She wore a blue skirt with a red bow at the end. She wore a white shirt with a big red heart on it. Her hair was still in pigtails. Soul wore baggy jeans and a wrinkled shirt on with a jean jacket.

"Oh, hey guys." I noticed something behind them. I turned my head to see someone familiar.

"Hi Roxas." I smiled.

"Hey." Roxas didn't look at me. He wore a black jacket and jeans with his same flats on.

"Catch." I threw the box over Soul's head and into his chest. He grabbed it and shook it.

"A little birdie told me you like Pocky." I laughed.

Maka chimed in. "Hey, do you know where the sisters are?"

I shook my head. "No… in fact, I just lost them."

"Hmm, okay. You have money with you? We're going to the bookstore!" She said as if it was heaven to her.

"They have one here?"

"Yeah, and it's the only store she goes to." Soul rolled his eyes.

"Maka… Chop!" Maka took a book that was under her arm and hit Soul in the head with it. I sat there, looking stupid.

"_That's… creepy." I said to Himari. She nodded._

"Anyway, come on!" Maka tugged on my arm, getting me up.

"Please don't drag me." I pleaded.

We finally got out of the store. I got a book on poetry and a CD of pianos, guitars, violins, everything involving sound. I found out that Soul played the piano, after Maka looking at my CD, making me curious in wanting to hear him play. I flipped the pages of the new book, looking at the typed letters. Liz gave me some money, so thankfully I was able to pay for it.

"What is that, nursery rhymes?" Soul was in front of me, looking at the book I handled with care. I closed it and held it up to my chest.

"No." I didn't want him to see it. The writings were dark and almost gothic.

Soul stared at me with blood-red eyes. I didn't know what to do so I slowed my pace. (We were still walking.) I turned my head so I couldn't see him stare at me.

"Watch where you're going!" Soul called out right before I ran into a hard chest. Out of surprise, I dropped my book. I reached at it. The other person reached for it, too. We bonked heads. He pulled his hand back to rub his head, where I grabbed my open book and bowed slightly.

"Sorry!" I apologized. I looked up to see a Kid rubbing his forehead.

"No worries." He shook it off. "When did you get here? How's your head?"

I looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm doing fine, actually. How are you?"

"Looking for the twins."

"We're doing the same." Roxas came over between us. He chewed his Pocky. I noticed how my forehead was sore from hitting it with Kid's. I gently rubbed it.

"Hmm…" Kid stroked his chin. "Well, may I search with you?" He chuckled. Soul and Maka nodded, and eventually the five of us went ahead and looked for the two twin pistols.

"There you guys are!" I exclaimed. "We've been looking for you for over half 'n' hour!" The girls slowly turned their heads as we came up to them.

"Sorry…" Liz said, going back to stare at the window. Patty was practically breathing on it. I turned to look at what they were gawking at.

"Oh my…" Maka exclaimed. She too ended up almost hugging the window attempting to see what's on display. Because I was taller, I simply popped my head above hers.

"Oh my…" I whispered. There on display was an absolutely beautiful dress. The white frills had red ribbons tied around it, with it tying back and forth around the chest. The shoulders and wrists were a little bit puffed out. The dress came out like a skirt at the waist. The back dropped down like a tail-coat. It had matching black shoes to go with it. It reminded me of the dress I wear when I'm with Himari…

My eyes widened as my right arm, neck, back, and waist simply began to burn and sting. It was only on my markings, making me more suspicious. I released Himari back into my shadow as I attempted to soothe the pain on my forearm.

"Oooh… buy it!" The face laughed at me. "Something that looks so similar to your outfit, spooky huh?" I glared at her and sighed. I couldn't help but stare at the dress.

"I can't believe you girls are completely caught up in a stupid dress!" Soul sighed as he sat down on a bench nearby. We all turned to stare at him. He then noticed us and began to fidget in his seat before we went back to gazing at the white clothing.

Maka moved to the right so I was able to place my hands on the cool glass. I struggled to keep my breathing steady. More pain was coming out of the back of my neck. This really confused me.

"Take a look for yourself." Himari laughed before her red face disappeared. I stepped back from the window to look at my shoes.

_First Patty reminding me of Aki… then Roxas saying that simple sentence about us matching wavelengths… and now this stupid dress… _

I gripped my shoulder more tightly. I noticed that all three boys had gone to sit at the bench Soul was at. I wanted to go sit down but I didn't want to be around a bunch of guys on a tight bench.

I sighed as the pain soothed and feeling returned in my arm. I gently rubbed my shoulder as I attempted to nonchalantly read the book I bought.

"_Mirror, mirror, on the wall,_

_Have I got it?_

_Cuz, mirror, you've always told me,_

_Who I am…" _

The words came to life on the page. I smiled a blank smile.

"Bo-ring!" Soul snatched the book from my hands and read the verse I was just on. "Geez, you find this interesting?" I attempted to reach and grab my book, but he held me back by simply pushing the palm of his hand against my forehead. I pressed harder against his hand in order to break his hold, but he wouldn't budge. I wrapped my hands around his wrist and bent it up.

"Eh?" Soul exclaimed as I used the ham-lock maneuver by bending the wrist close to the shoulder blade. "Hey, hey, let go!" he dropped the book. "Geez!"

I quickly released him and reached down to grab the dirtied book. As I brushed it off everyone finally went back into being chatting bubble, the boys up from their seats and talking with their partners. Roxas was secretly whispering to Kid, as he slowly nodded. Kid walked up to me and smiled.

"Hmm?" I cocked my head at Roxas, then at Kid.

"Father asked to see you late last night, and since you were sleeping at Roxas's… had to give him a raincheck." He laughed. "Sadly I hadn't thought about it until Roxas reminded me. Wanna head over there to the Academy now? He asked to see you face to face."

"Um… sure." I didn't know how to respond. The thought of walking alone with Kid gave me the chills.

"Oh, Roxas said you left this!" Kid exclaimed as he reached into the black suit and pulled out a checkered hat. He handed it to me.

"Oh… um… thanks…" I grabbed it and held it, not putting it on. "I guess we all forget things." We laughed.

**A/N **

**- Okay so I'm well past these chapters and like on chapter 15 :D! Yay... ugh... and I'm REALLY hating Roxas and Kid's character development! It's making me SO ANGRY! I'm thinking of erasing the last chapter and rewriting them, changing the story plot by stretching it out, cuz everything is happening so fast! UGH! *Sips coffee* Yes, Roxas is an artist, deal. With. It. I like the idea and I'm sticking with it! -Soul**


	7. Shinigami's Statement

Me and Kid eventually left the group and were walking down the road towards the menacing school. We stopped by the apartment to put away my book and disc. We were silent for the most part. Memories unfolded about the first time we walked together on this same road. I slowed my steps, in deep thought, as Kid kept his long stride. Eventually we were quite a ways apart.

"Hmm? Alice?" He turned his head and stopped walking. I kept my pace, and finally caught up to him.

"Is something wrong?" Kid asked, his golden worried eyes burning into me. He looked at my clouded eyes, seeing that I was in a daze, thinking. I shook my head slowly.

"Oh!" I tripped, stubbing my toe on something hard. I fell, arms flailing in order to protect my face. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up, right before I slammed into the hard cement stairs.

"Watch yourself." Kid smiled at me. He pulled my arm way up over both our heads, with me totally pressing up against him. Once I realized what a position we were in, I quickly squirmed my wrist from his strong grip and scurried up a few steps. I waved him away his worry.

"Oh, sorry! Hehe… Such a klutz!" I laughed, attempting to put a fake smile on. Kid saw straight through me.

"Eh…" I ended rushing up the stairs, thankfully Kid simply began walking up again.

_Why am I running? Ugh… my face is pink!_

"Oh! Alice!" I almost bumped into Shinigami, who waved his massive white paw in front of me. I stood back and waved slightly back. He looked around. "Where's Kid?"

"Here, Father." Kid walked the final steps of the massive staircase.

"Please, please, come in! Come in!" Shinigami opened the door for me, like a gentleman, so I scooted my way into his office.

*-.-.-.-*

"So, how are you, Alice-chan?" Shinigami asked as he sipped he tea. All three of us were sitting at a small table drinking homemade tea, talking about recent events. I shrugged as I set my cup down.

"For better or worse." I laughed at myself. Shinigami cocked his head at me.

"Kid told me what happened to you. Are you sure you're alright?" I nodded vigorously. Shinigami clapped his hands together. "Perfect! There's something I need to talk to both of you with personally." I looked at Kid. He returned my look. "Can I talk to Alice first, Kid?" Kid got up and calmly walked out of the large office. He shut the door slowly behind him.

I sipped my tea. It was piping hot, but still wonderful. "What is it, Shinigami?" I propped myself on my knees, sitting Japanese style. I didn't wanna see how Shinigami sat down. Frankly I was too scared.

"Have you met Maka and the others?" I nodded. "They're in Professor's Stein's room, and he has them in teams."

"So… Maka… Kid… Black*Star and the weapons are in just one big group?"

"Yes! It helps with missions and such, plus with soul resonating lessons! That group is the strongest in the class! First off, I want you to join them!"

"E-eh!" I shook my hands in front of him, as if to shoo him away. "I barely know them! Plus what a fool I made of myself, I'm a wimp compared to them…" I buried my face in my hands. I sighed. I felt Shinigami gently pat my shoulder. All of a sudden he jerked his giant hand down. My sleeve went down, revealing my neck and shoulder. I gasped as I quickly covered my tattoos from him. He nodded.

"Mm… I saw some when Kid used Soul Sensation, but I had to make sure there were more… All over your right side…" He thought for a moment. I hugged my right arm tightly. Shinigami looked at me sternly.

"Amuza."

(*-*-*)

"What?" I looked at the masked man with wide eyes.

_How could he have found out?_

_What? …How?_

I blinked a few times before staring at my lap. I failed at trying to keep my breath steady. I shook my head and looked at Shinigami.

"No!"

He was taken by surprise. "What?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I slammed my fist on the table. The cups near spilled all over us. I didn't care. I was outraged.

"You do." Shinigami tried to calm me down. It didn't work. I stood straight up, this time making my cup fall and splatter over my shoes.

"I do not!" I stamped my foot. I wanted to scream. I clenched my fists.

"Then why are you acting crazy?" My eyes could've popped out of my head. I knew my eyes had become dull and lifeless. I looked down at the floor. I felt tears sting at my eyes. I've been found out. Damn it!

…

…

…

I thought of everyone. I thought it was the end for me. I wanted to kick Shinigami, run away, fight everyone who came after me, but something deep in the back of my mind forced the thought away. I simply dropped to my knees, landing in spilt tea. I hung my head in shame, staring at my legs. My eyes were as wide as quarters. I… was, well… shocked.

I suddenly felt a large hand reach over and stroke my back. I made no movement.

"I've seen your soul, and it seemed familiar. Your markings, too. Then I remembered, well over a century ago your ancestors were one of the Great Families." He picked my chin up with his finger. "He was a kind man, and his wife, too. They were a wonderful family, and one of greatest friends I've ever known." Shinigami wiped the tears from my cheeks. I couldn't help but smile. I scooted over to Kid's seat, since mine was… well, soaked in tea.

"I can't believe you knew." I sighed as I looked up at him. Behind the comical mask, I couldn't see his face. I wondered if he was angry at me for freaking out. I gave Shinigami a sad smile.

"No worries! You're secret will forever be safe with me!" Shinigami pretended to lock his lips, which made me start laughing. "What'cha laughing for?" I pointed at the mask through giggles.

"You… you, don't…" I choked for air, my side was getting cramps, I bent over. "You don't have a mouth!" I laughed so hard I thought my heart would burst. It took a good five minutes to settle me down.

*-.-.-.-*

"So was there anything else?" I asked. I had dried my pants and seat with a hundred napkins, and I was now standing up and stretching, towering over Shinigami.

"Yes, one more thing! It'll be quick!" He reached under the table and pulled out a long, skinny box. I looked at him a confusing look as I sat back down. "Go on, take it!" He urged, happier than Patty with ice-cream. I slowly took the box from his large hands. I looked at it at awe. The box shined a pretty silver, and it was heavy against my hand. Metal?

"Go on, open!" Shinigami was anticipating something. I was scared to open the beautiful box. I noticed large, black letters were carved into the top side of the box. I slowly put my fingers on the rim and pushed upward. It clicked open.

My eyes widened yet again. Inside the case was a beautiful bracelet. It was silver, like the case, but it shined and glistened more with every time my hand shook. There was a single keychain on the thin bracelet. It was black, with a silver keyhole going in the middle of it. It was a black heart. I couldn't help but smile.

"Thi- This…" I choked back, keeping my breath as steady as possible. I fingered the keyhole gently. "Is this for me?" I looked up at him. Shinigami nodded. I looked back down, at the piece of jewelry. It was just some jewelry, but it touched my heart that he would do this. I noticed a small note stuck to the end of it. I fondled it until it came loose.

_To: Alice- From Shinigami and Kid _

I closed my eyes. I opened them again and wiped my tears away with my hand. Gently, I put on the chain. I held it up towards the light. I jingled my wrist. A soft, bell like sound came from the black heart. I held my hand close to my chest and covered it with my other.

"Thank you…" That was all I could say. Shinigami smiled.

"Say that to Kid. It was his idea." Shinigami nodded. He yelled. "Kid! You can come on in now!"

The door creaked. I stood up and slowly walked over to him. He began to walk, too. As we passed, I turned on my heels and wrapped my arms around his neck. I got him by surprise.

"A-Alice?" He didn't know how to respond.

"Thank you." I let go of him and smiled. He rubbed the back of his neck. I walked out the door, smiling, leaving it wide open. I skipped down the hallways, listening to the quiet jingle. I practically danced down the stairs when I got outside. I hummed to the birds' song. I smiled and skipped and felt all fuzzy inside.

"Ugh, look at Miss Sunshine!" Himari popped out of my shadow, laughing. I looked at her, grinning. No one was around so I spoke out loud.

"Even you can't ruin it!" I jingled my chain at her. She looked at it closely. "Jealous?"

"Nope." She crawled back to the mirror. I skipped all the way to the dorm.


	8. A Little Get Together

"Hey, what are you so happy for?" Liz asked. She was talking to Patty when I came into the large apartment. I was still smiling. It wouldn't erase off my face, much to Himari's displeasure.

"Oh… nothing!" I knew them too well to know that I shouldn't show off my present. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Hmm… I dunno. Thinking of going to Maka's to eat?" Patty rubbed her stomach. I shrugged.

"Sounds good… if they'll have me, of course." Thoughts of Shinigami's invitation to their group came to mind. I kept silent about it. I'd talk to Kid.

"Where's Kid?" Patty jumped up and down on the couch when I went to sit down.

I looked up at the ceiling. "Went to talk with his dad."

"Were you there too?" Liz poked my shoulder. I nodded. "What are you talking about?" She winked at me.

"He was worried what happened to me. Had to go reassure him." I laughed. I felt my head, and found a small scar that wasn't there before. I remembered the giant Kishin, and I shuddered.

"You cold?" Patty got up and reached under the couch. She pulled out a long, colorful blanket and wrapped all three of us in it. I fingered the soft cloth. It was the middle of April, but it did get windy and chilly sometimes.

"What city is this?" I asked, enjoying the heat the blanket provided.

Liz turned to me, shocked. "How long have you've been here, exactly?" I counted with my fingers. I lived outside of a city, on the outskirts, so… One… Two…Three?

"I'm sure this is the third day." I spoke to myself more than to the sisters. Their eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Mmhmm… now answer my question, please?" I shrugged a little.

Patty responded. "Death City!" It was like I set off a bomb. She began yelling and running and jumping around the room, off the walls, more or less.

"I see." I was right. Our house wasn't far from Death City.

"Why do you ask?" Liz finally had gotten up and got a grip on Patty's wrists, and was now dragging her laughing twin back to the couch.

"Curious."

"So do you mind hanging out with Maka and Soul?" Liz asked once she finally settled down on the couch again. I nodded.

"Like I said before, don't care, but they have to say yes first." I folded my hands back behind my head.

"Mmmk! Yeah… yeah… at, six maybe? It's four thirty now… take out? Sounds good. Oh, and…" Liz's voice dropped down to a whisper. "Yeah! Sounds perfect!" Her voice went back up. I looked to she was talking on her phone. I wondered who it was. "Mmm… yeah! Okay… call Tsubaki definitely! Yeah you do it! Alright… oh nice! Okay… At six!" She hung up the phone.

"So…"

She smiled at me and winked. "We're eating at their place!" There was a twinkle in her eye and it made me suspicious when Patty slipped into the left hallway. I gave her a look.

"Oh really." I stared at her. She waved at herself, fanning herself.

"It sure is hot in here, huh!"

"It's the middle of April." I raised a brow at her. Liz shrugged.

*-.-.-.-*

"Yo." Kid called as he opened the door. Liz and Patty were in their room, and sometimes I heard them giggle and yell. I was spread out on the couch, legs up on the arm rest, head lolled to the side as I flipped the pages of "Soul Wavelengths". Other books were on my stomach and above my head, such as "Origin of Weapons and Meisters", "Meister Abilities", "Souls for Meisters".

I didn't even reply to him. I was interested in the paragraph my eyes were glued to. I rolled onto my stomach, dropping two books onto the floor. My legs slowly fanned the air back and forth. I didn't notice, but Kid walked over and picked all the books I read and put them in a neat stack at the end of the couch.

"Alice?" He stood over me. I never realized how tall he was. I marked my page with my hand before closing the cover on my wrist.

"Yeah?" I looked up at him, straining my neck to do so.

"You're a mess. Unsymmetrical mess…" He covered his eyes with his hands. I glared at him and went back to reading. _There is no certainty whether or not a meister/weapon will be born, but it is common that if an older sibling is a meister/weapon, the younger siblings will most likely be the same. If it is a family of meisters/weapons, there is a good chance the offspring will be the same._ I thought about it. I'm a meister… was Mother or Father one? And what about Aki? I wish she was normal… I went back to reading.

"Hey! Alice!" Kid put his hands on my back and started shaking me back and forth. I smiled while I ignored him. He lifted his hands away and then did something completely unexpected.

He sat on me.

The air whooshed out of me. He was awfully heavy, despite his skinny appearance. He laughed while I squirmed, attempting to roll him off.

"Are you going with us to Maka and Soul's?" He poked the back of my head. I nodded.

"I think so. Wait, how'd you know?" I would've turned to look at him, but my neck would only go so far without the ability to turn my back.

"Liz called me when I was walking home."

"Oh." My phone was in my pocket. "Get off of me?"

He wiggled around to get comfortable. "Why? You make a good pillow." I kicked him by bending my leg back. "Ow!"

"That's for calling me ugly." I went back to reading.

"I never called you ugly, you're just so unsymmetrical!" Kid sighed.

I closed my eyes and sighed also. "Would you get off me if I let you made me "symmetrical"?" He gasped.

"Y-You would let me?" He jumped off me and started jumping up and down, like Patty. "Oh joyous days!" He grabbed my wrists and dragged me into the bathroom. He left the door wide open. I rubbed my wrists as he pulled a stool out from the cabinet under the sink and set it down behind me. "Sit." He grabbed my shoulders and sat me down. I noticed he had grabbed a small bag full of combs, brushes, and tweezers.

"You're not gonna… tweeze me, are you?" I looked at him pleadingly. Kid stared hard into my face. He shook his head.

"Nope! You're eyebrows are perfectly symmetrical!" He clapped his hands twice before zipping the bag open and furiously brushing my hair, and then using a ruler to measure the width and length. He grabbed the scissors. "You're ends are uneven." He looked at my bangs. "These too." He held them up with two fingers, and was about to cut them until I screamed loudly.

"Liz! Patty! Help!" I jumped up and ran out of the bathroom. I didn't care what he did, but cutting my hair was going way too far. I heard loud footsteps as Liz and Patty ran down the hall towards me.

"Oh my Shinigami! What happened?" Liz asked, placing her hands on my shoulders and shaking me. I squirmed out of her grip and hid behind her. Thankfully she was much taller than me, so you couldn't see me.

"K-Kid tried to cut my hair!" I grabbed my bangs as if they were my life-source. Patty gasped, and suddenly an angry look spread across her face.

"I'll kill him!" Patty yelled, almost dashing off into the bathroom, but thankfully Liz grabbed her collar, holding her back.

"W-Why? You said I could make you sym-symmetrical!" Kid cried as he slowly walked out of the bathroom. He was literally crying.

"I'm sorry! I just…" I became quiet. I didn't tell them why I didn't like my hair being cut.

"I just what?" Liz turned to me, still holding onto Patty's collar. I stepped a few steps back and wringed my hands.

"Nothing… I just don't like my hair cut." I looked at the ground.

Liz cocked her head at me. "Eh? But haircuts are cute if they're done yet."

I couldn't tell them why. It would blow my cover. I could've told Kid, but not now… I decided to give them a short explanation. "I-I never had my hair cut before."

Kid laughed at me. My face went pink. "Oh come on, getting it trimmed isn't so bad! Please?" He asked. I shook my head. I looked up at him and gave him a _"I'll tell you later"_ look. Kid fell silent.

"Oh… Look at the time!" Liz let go of Patty, who stopped rampaging. "It's 5:50! Better get going!" She must've noticed the tension between me and the symmetry-obsessed boy.

"Fine, let's go…" Kid sighed. He still wanted to make me symmetrical.

*-.-.-.-*

Me, Kid, Liz, and Patty all went down to the first floor, room 13. Black*Star and Tsubaki were already there, with Roxas going to get the food. Soul and Maka's place were about the same size as ours, with a kitchen to the left and the living room directly to the right. The hallway had one bathroom and two bedrooms, and on the immediate left as soon as you enter. I felt bad for Kid. I found not one thing symmetrical.

I saw his eye twitching. Liz was patting his head while talking to Maka. I was hiding behind Tsubaki, who was conveniently near the corner. As soon as I had entered, I hid. Thankfully no one noticed.

"So how are you, Liz?" Maka chuckled. Liz shrugged.

"Eh… the normal... you?" I noticed Black*Star and Patty were talking off to the side. Both of them were laughing. I wondered what they were chatting about. Tsubaki quietly talked to Soul.

"So, how are you guys?" Tsubaki asked. Soul shrugged.

"H-Hey! Where's Alice?" Kid suddenly came out of his symmetry-obsession to notice I wasn't anywhere to be seen. I sucked my stomach in order to shrink myself. Thank goodness Tsubaki was a good five inches taller than me. But sadly, Soul literally saw right through me. He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me out from behind. Everyone was staring at me.

I wrung my hands together. _Great… just what I didn't want, attention._ Suddenly Back*Star and Patty were laughing louder than a siren.

"Hey, Alice! Teach me how to find good hiding spots like that!" Black*Star pointed at me. "You'd make a good assassin! Not as good as me, of course!" He pointed at himself. I stared wide-eyed.

"What?" I whispered to myself. I finally noticed that Soul was still touching my shoulder. I shrugged him off and glared at him.

"What did I do?" Soul returned my stink-eye.

"I don't like people touching me." I snapped quietly back at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Stop being so distant. Go socialize. God." He walked over to Maka and the talking began again. I felt another, softer hand placed gently on my other shoulder. It was Tsubaki.

"You're awfully quiet." She smiled at me warmly. I blinked. "Maybe Soul's right… you're a sweet girl, you need to just be more sociable, and I wouldn't be surprised if you had a million friends." I smiled back at her. I felt like crying. She was so sweet, Tsubaki made me want to go meet a million people, compared to Soul, who made me want to punch him.

I laughed softly. "So… how are you?"

"I'm fine." She covered her lips with her hand while giggling. She was so lady-like, I was kinda jealous. "So how's life with Kid?" She winked at me.

"What do you mean?" She slipped her arm off my shoulder finally. She looked at me.

"I thought you guys were…" Tsubaki came in close to whisper into my ear. "Dating."

"What?" I said, surprisingly very loud. No one turned to stare, thankfully.

"Oh!" Her eyes were round. "I just assumed! I'm sorry!" Her face went pink. I started laughing. I put my hand on her wrist.

"You thought… with Kid?" I laughed harder. "That's gross!" I put my hand to my mouth to muffle out the sound but I couldn't help myself but keep laughing. Soon Tsubaki was giggling, with her hands around her thin waist. She bent over slightly. Tears squeezed out of our eyes and rolled down our cheeks. As we were having our giggle fit, I didn't notice Soul turn his head to look at me. As I straightened and wiped my wet face dry with my hands, he smiled, showing off his pointed teeth. I barely caught a glimpse of him turning back around to chat with Kid.

*-.-.-.-*

Soon me and all the other girls were talking and giggling. The guys were on the complete other side of the room, spread out on the large couch. Roxas had returned with three boxes of pizza, and we were all eating gooey, cheesy Italian food. I was barely on my second when all the pizza disappeared from the boxes. I chewed slowly, I haven't eaten since we were at the café. I wasn't talking much as the others, but a smile had plastered on my face and wouldn't go away.

"Yeah, Alice is could be your twin, Maka, from how much she reads!" Patty slapped my back. I blinked.

"Eh?"

Kid overheard us and spoke loudly. "I can agree with that!" The guys laughed. I was paralyzed, not knowing what to do.

"I'm not sure… her hair is too different." Maka shook her head as she spoke. I nibbled on the crust, staying silent. "What about you? Think we're anything alike?" I shrugged and swallowed.

"I don't know." I went back to nibbling on the small piece of crust that was left in my hands.

This time all the boys chimed in together. "Alice is too… big to be like Maka!" All of the girls including me snapped our necks at them.

Liz slowly turned hers and whispered. "Get your partners… Alice, get Roxas… on three." I finished eating and wiped my hands together.

"What should we do?" I asked softly, still glaring furiously at them.

"Anything..."

"Wrestle them!" Patty nodded at me.

"1…" I said.

"2…" Tsubaki and Maka chimed in.

"…3!" The sisters screamed together. We rushed toward the boys. Maka got a book and began chopping Soul over and over, while sitting on him. Liz was playfully slapping Kid on the left side of the cheek, leaning over him and laughing. Patty was behind the couch ruffling his hair, making him unsymmetrical. Tsubaki was also leaning over Black*Star, hitting his chest very hard. I sat on the arm rest hitting Roxas on the shoulder and sometimes a soft blow to the head.

"H-Hey! Soul!" Maka squealed. We all turned our heads to see Soul wrap his arms around Maka and kiss her. The book was in her hands above her head, but because of Soul's sudden action, it didn't come down on his head. I also noticed she didn't pull away. When Soul finally stopped and leaned back, her eyes were as round as quarters. She quickly stood up, not knowing what to do. Liz quickly grabbed her collar and ran back to our corner in the room. Tsubaki scooted away to where Liz and Maka were, and Patty grabbed my wrist and dragged me over.

Maka was still in shock. I whispered to Liz. "Is this the… first time?" She shook her head and whispered back at me.

"No… they say they're not dating but… they do love each other… it's not the first time Soul… to Maka… but not just in public… not so suddenly." We all sat down. Maka's face had gone back to normal.

I noticed she was blushing. I looked at everyone. Even Patty stayed silent. I turned my head to see Soul quiet as the boys looked at him.

"No one's going to do anything?" I said loudly. The guys turned to look at me. The girls blinked at me. I got on my hands and knees and crawled over to Maka. I placed my hands on her shoulders and shook her back and forth. Her head bobbed.

"Come on!" I said, louder this time. I stopped shaking her and got up. I grabbed her wrists and picked her up onto her feet. I tugged her over to the couch. I picked up the book that was on the floor and brushed the dirt off it. I handed it to her and winked. As soon as she grabbed it, the life went back into her eyes.

"Don't shock me!" She yelled loudly at Soul. The book went behind her head. I crossed my arms in pleasure. "Maka… CHOP!" She slammed the book down hard, but not on his head, next to it, on the couch. It thumped. She leaned in and returned Soul's kiss, smiling. I covered my eyes with my hand, since I was to only one who was able to see them. I heard Liz and Patty cheer. Kid clapped. Tsubaki smiled and giggled.

*-.-.-.-*

"Liz, truth or dare!" Maka laughed. When the couple broke off they're kiss, everyone got lively. We were sitting in a circle, playing truth or dare. Kid was at my left, with Black*Star at my right. To the right of Black*Star was Maka, then Soul, Liz, Patty, Roxas, Tsubaki, and finally back to Kid.

"Um… Truth!" Liz replied.

"Let's see…" Maka thought for a moment. "Have you… ever… skinny dipped?" All the girls burst out laughing, especially me and Patty. The boys simply stayed silent.

"Oh, no, no, no! Never!" Liz shook her head, whipping her hair back and forth. She finally stopped. "Okay… Kid! Truth or dare!"

Kid shrugged. "Dare?"

"Make Alice unsymmetrical!"

"Never!" Kid yelled. I was laughing my guts out.

"I can't get more unsymmetrical, Liz!" I said, pointing to my eyes and hair.

"But what about your clothes?" I shrugged.

"I won't do it! She's unsymmetrical enough!" He wailed disgustingly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily. "At least I don't have three white stripes coming out of only one side of my head! I don't think that's very symmetrical!" Everyone gasped.

Tsubaki leaned over Kid to whisper. "We don't talk about the lines…" She retreated. I bent to look at Kid.

"Hey- I'm sorry…" I whispered to him.

"No! You're right! I'm a-symmetrical garbage! Throw me out on garbage day! I don't deserve the title "Shinigami"!" He crawled up into a ball, his left fist pounding the ground. I looked up at everyone.

"I'm sorry!" I whimpered. I turned and patted Kid's back. "You're not garbage! You're…" I thought. "You're the most symmetrical person I know! Compared to everyone else, you're the best symmetrical shinigami!" He sat up quickly and turned to look at me.

"Y-you really think so?" His voice sounded strained. I smiled and nodded.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" I was wrapped around in a pair of arms. Kid pulled me into his warm chest. His suit was soft against my squished up face. It was difficult to breathe. I attempted to flail my arms, but failed in doing so, since they were squished against Kid and me.

"K-Kid!" I gasped. He squeezed me harder. "I-I can't… breathe!" I tried to pull him away.

"Get off the chick!" Black*Star yelled. I felt him pry Kid's arms off of me, and he pushed him backward. Black*Star gently helped me straighten and patted my back. "Now thank your savior!" I turned to look at my 'savior'. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"Thank you!" I laughed. Soon everyone except Kid and Black*Star were laughing.

*-.-.-.-*

"Good night, everyone!" I waved as the four of us returned to our dorms. Roxas already left, but Black*Star and Tsubaki were still there. It was well past 10 o' clock. As we got through hugs and waves and goodbyes, Kid shut the door.

We walked up the stairs slowly. The smile on my face had yet to fade. Kid noticed and smiled too.

"That went perfect!" Liz stretched as we neared our doorway. "Don't you think so Patty?"

Patty nodded. "Don't you think so, Kid?"

Kid shrugged. "Splendid. Don't you think so, Alice?" I had closed my eyes, and didn't hear his question. "Alice?"

"Huh?"

"Haha, never mind." He opened the door for us. We stepped inside. He shut the door behind him.

"What do you mean?"

He ignored my question. "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I'm tired. See you tomorrow morning…" Kid yawned as he walked off to his room. Liz and Patty had already gone to their rooms, they were nowhere to be seen. I followed him.

"Oh, I forgot!" Kid turned as soon as we were in the hall. He grabbed my hair and gently yanked on it. "Tell me." Oh no, I completely forgot about it! I walked into my room. There, on the messy bed, Kid's white shirt laid there, pressed, folded, and cleaned. There was a note on the bed-stand. I walked over and read it.

_To Alice- From Liz- "Best pajamas ever!" _

I smiled and set the shirt on top of the pillow. I sat down. Kid was leaning at doorway. I beckoned him to sit. As he settled down on the soft bed, I explained my sad tale.

"My family keeps their hair long and never cuts it unless their mourning someone, or dishonor is brought to them. We consider long hair a symbol." I shrugged. I laid myself down on the bed, my arms above my head twirling strands of my hair, and legs swinging and banging up against the bed frame.

"I always learn something about you every day." Kid turned and touched my nose with his finger. "Is there anything else?"

"What do you want to know about me?"

"When's your birthday?"

I kept silent. Eventually I spoke. "Liz said that to me today."

"Oh really?" Kid played with my hair. I didn't like it.

"Why do you keep touching me?" I asked angrily. He looked at me.

"I thought you didn't mind."

"I hate people touching me." I closed my eyes and sighed. "You know that."

"Hmm." He kept twirling my hair.

I rolled onto my side to where I was facing Kid. He didn't look at me. "Am I unsymmetrical garbage?"

He still refused to look at me. "You're unsymmetrical, of course. But you're not garbage. Why would you ask that?" I shrugged. Sleep attempted to get me, but I was enjoying this bonding time with my shinigami friend.

"Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of me?" Kid looked up at me. I noticed how golden his eyes were.

I turned back onto my back, and stared at the ceiling. "Well… I think you're smart, funny, kind, really strong, witty, and I think you take symmetry way too seriously. You're really tall, too." I turned my head. He was smiling. "What about me?"

"Hmm… you're unsymmetrical… mysterious, really confusing, strong, smart, shy, quiet, and I think you're too innocent for your own good." He poked my stomach. "You're also the one of the best friends ever." Memories of what Shinigami said flooded my said.

"_They were one of the best friends I ever had."_

I smiled. I couldn't help but smile.

I held my wrist out in front of me. The black charm jingled.

"So I see Father gave it to you." Kid's smile was erased from his face. Mine wasn't.

I nodded. "He said it was your idea." I turned to look at him. "Kid…"

"Yes?"

"You're the first friend I ever had." Tears welled up. My lip quivered.

"Really?" Kid's eyes looked shocked.

I nodded slowly. "When I was… before Alice… I was alone…" "Except…" I whispered softly.

"Except?" Kid asked. I was surprised he heard me.

I shook my head. "Some things are left unheard." I looked at him.

"Are you sure? Me and Father are here, always. Liz, Patty, and everyone else."

"I'm sure." I wished I never brought it up. It was starting to get difficult to keep my eyes open. Kid must have noticed. He stood up.

"I guess I'll be saying good night." He bowed slightly. Again my face went pink to his formality. "Good night, Alice." And with that, he left, closing the door behind him. I got up too, putting on Kid's shirt, now my official pajamas, and slipping under the covers. The only light was the lamplight. I kept it on. I liked the golden light.


	9. Why Are You Mad? It's My First Day!

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Himari paced around back and forth when I arrived. She too had the charm bracelet, only the black heart was white._

"_What's up?" I placed my right hand against the mirror. It felt colder than ice._

"_I don't trust that Kid guy." She turned to me and placed her left hand on the mirror. "And the worse thing is you're falling for him." I laughed._

"_I'm not falling for him, you idiot! He's…" I smiled. "He's the first friend I ever had." I smiled at her. Her expression was deadly._

"_I'm your only friend!" She screamed. Her eyes burned a great fire, her usual smile a permanent scowl. "I'm the only one you can TRUST!"_

_I looked at her with wide eyes. "Himari…"_

"_I'm the only one you need! Damnit!" She banged her head against the window. It didn't crack. But blood fell from her forehead down her cheeks. Tears mixed into it._

_I was suddenly away from the mirror, away from Himari. I called to her. It was pitch black except for the ever-falling blossoms._

_Kid's voice came in. "It's worthless to pick up fallen petals. The flower is dead, just wait for the next one to blossom and whither." He came into view. I turned to see him. He held his right hand out toward me. I smiled and ran to him. I noticed I was barefoot. My short, white, puffy dress was now a silk black one. It hugged my waist and cut at the thighs, revealing my legs. It also cut down my back. I noticed the train never ended. _

_I noticed another thing. _

_I had no sleeves on my left shoulder, but on the right, my marks connected with the top hemming of the dress. My markings… were part of the outfit…? Same thing with my back, too. The dress seemed to be like paint until it actually came down my waist and the train._

_I kept running towards Kid. I stuck my arm out, hand outstretched. I called for him. No matter how fast I ran, the gap between us just kept getting farther and farther. Spikes grew from his arms and legs. He sort of looked like a miniature version of his father, only without the mask. _

_His hand was still outstretched toward me. I screamed and ran harder. _

"_Kid!" A black liquid ran down his shoulder, down his arm, and circled around his offered hand. Like a snake, the black blood shot out at me. It came so fast I couldn't react. All I could do was be frozen in time, running._

_It pierced me in the heart. Red blood gushed. I gasped, falling backwards. I felt no pain, except for a long sadness. A black shadow with red eyes came flying from the sky and wrapped me in her arms. She hugged me tightly before disappearing like shards of glass. The red blood gushed again. I balanced myself to look at Kid. He smirked evilly._

_I placed my hand over my heart to stop the bleeding. It poured over my arms and body. _

"_W-Why Kid?" Another black snake came from Kid and bit my right shoulder. My tattoos burned. I cried. Another came, jet-fast, and straight into my eye. Blood poured out of me. Tears poured down my cheeks. I screamed in pain. Another struck me in the stomach. I fell to the ground. I screamed again. _

"_Help!" I wailed. How could he turn on me like this? _

_Suddenly the shadow who hugged me appeared above me, this time I saw her white angel wings. She flicked her wrist, and chains flew from her wings. They cut the blackness stabbing me, disconnecting me from Kid. The knives in my wounds disintegrated. I put my hand up against my eye and sat up. Kid turned and walked away into the shadows. The angel came down and hugged me again. She closed us around in a safe haven of feathers. _

_Himari appeared. I couldn't see her face, she was looking down. Blood covered her. "I'm your only friend. Believe me. Those guys are bad news." _

_*-.-.-.-.-*_

The rest of the week went by pretty fast. Nothing too interesting happened. I was lying in bed, looking at the time. 5:30 AM. I sighed. I haven't seen Himari since that one incident last Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and finally Monday. I reflected on my first week at being "Alice." I sat up. I wasn't tired. I saw no Kishin, thankfully. Soul and Maka still seemed like lovey-doveys to me and Liz. Kid attempted to make the perfect symmetrical dinner, and burning it in the process. Black*Star and Tsubaki came over once and had tea. Roxas came over twice to hang out.

I hadn't been spending so much time with Kid after the dream- I mean nightmare, but I still wore the bracelet. I wanted Himari to come back. I thought it was my fault, so to help myself calm down I've been going to this small hill overlooking Death City and meditating. It helps, but I missed Himari.

I yawned and slowly got up, dressing myself in the never-worn uniform. I looked at the black and white pleated skirt and ruffled it. I straightened my purple tie. (You get to choose your own color, awesome!) I fixed the cuffs on my wrists. I got the blue earring and put it in. I left my coat open, revealing my white undershirt. My black plaid high-knee socks went well with my blacky-brown shoes that were rounded at the toes. I silently crept into the bathroom and turned on the light. I got my own toothbrush and comb, so I began brushing and combing the few tangles in my dark black hair. My purple and blue eyes shimmered I smiled. I parted my bangs to where they fell slightly over the blue one. I kept my down-to-my-butt hair straight, not putting it in a pony or anything.

"Perfect!" I said. I didn't care about what I looked like, but it was nice to look good on the first day of school. At home I received tutors, so I never went to a school. I stared at the DWMA crest over my left breast. It was a skull like Shinigami's mask and a shield-like shape encircling it.

I crept back into my room and looked at my brown satchel. I opened it and stared at all the things I needed. Notebook, pencil, binder, "The Souls of Meisters and Weapons" handbook, and a small sack lunch. I counted everything three times to make sure I had everything. I opened up my bed-stand drawer and grabbed my Student ID. It had a picture of me giving the peace sign and winking at the camera, along with my name (the people who made the cards thought it was odd I had no last name), species (meister), gender, age, birthday, date of when the card was made, and the ID code. 937008. There was also a ranking. From level 1 to 5, I was level 3. I didn't understand the purpose of it, so I'd have to ask Kid about it. I'd also have to go back every year and get a new one. I placed it in my undershirt's pocket. I clapped three times, then slapped my cheeks three times. It was 6:40 now, and I could hear Kid getting up, yawning, and getting dressed. I walked out with my backpack and sat down on the couch. I turned the lamp on and began reading various books on cooking recipes. (Patty wanted something new every night, so I wanted to master it before I got cooking it.)

7:00 AM. I heard Liz and Patty get up. School started at 8:30, so we needed to leave at eight, precisely, like how Kid wanted it. I crossed my legs. I heard footsteps coming from the hall. I looked up to see a half sleepy Kid, which was weird since he was always the first one to get up in the mornings. He was straightening his skull-like tie. I noticed that he was wearing his usual suit, and not the boys' uniform. I shrugged it off. I also saw he had bed-head hair, making him look like a little child. I never saw him look out of place, always refined and proper.

I giggled, making him notice me. His eyes widened. "When did you get up?" I fixed my collar and set my book down on my lap.

"Couldn't sleep. Around 5:40…" I watched as he pulled out a comb and began brushing his hair.

"Geez, you're gonna fall asleep during class. Eat something, at least." I watched as his hair became symmetrical, as if by magic. I got up and walked to the kitchen. He was right. My stomach grumbled. I grabbed a blueberry muffin from the counter and began nibbling on it. He sat down on the couch. I sat back down too.

"How are you able to have your hair symmetrical, and keep it like that all day? You don't use gel…" I asked, staring while he slipped on his shoes and began combing his bangs and hair again.

"I'm magical like that." He chuckled. I giggled, putting my hand to my mouth, not wanting to spit out a mouthful of muffin.

I finished eating my muffin at exactly 7:12. I heard rustling and squeaking in the hall behind us. Kid was still trying to make himself symmetrical. I was still staring at his hair. It was all perfectly aligned, and all he did was brush it. I wanted to brush it, but feared I'd mess it up.

Kid glanced at me while fixing his coat. He must have seen my desire. He turned his back to me while tossing to comb over. I picked it up carefully.

"Are you sure?"

"I can make myself symmetrical again if you screw up." He seemed like an adult compared to my childish wishes. I crawled over closer to him and began combing. His hair was as soft as… well, girl's hair. I wanted to run my hands through mine and then his to compare, but I stopped myself. I leaned over and brushed his bangs. When I finished, I somehow made his hair seem polished. I grinned. It still looked symmetrical.

"Ah… perfect, perfect!" Kid said happily, although not looking into a mirror.

"Who is it?" A pair of hands covered my eyes. The voice sounded deep and brass. I noticed the hands were longer.

"Liz." The hands were removed, and I could see again.

"How'd you know?" Liz went over and sat down between me and Kid.

I laughed. "A magician never shares their secrets!" Patty sat down on my lap.

"Show me a trick!" Patty bounced up and down.

I quickly glanced at Kid. He took action. "Don't you have to finish getting ready, Patty?"

"Damn!" Patty got up and went into the kitchen. She made herself a bowl of cereal.

*-.-.-.-*

It was exactly 8 o' clock when we left. We were half-way up the stairs to the academy. Knots grew in my stomach. Liz must have saw my tension, because she placed her hand on my shoulder and winked. I smiled at her, but quickly stopped when I heard two kids walking beside us whisper;

"Hey… hey, look at that chick! She's with Death The Kid's group… she must be either really strong or really rich!"

"Yeah! She's pretty! Maybe Kid's girlfriend?"

"Maybe… Hey! She's looking at us! Run!" They ran up the stairs. I sighed. Kid laughed.

"You? My girlfriend? Never." I felt my face go pink.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" He rubbed his arm.

I turned to Liz. "What did those boys mean when they talked?"

She grumbled. "They define us as the popular group because we're rich and because Kid's a shinigami, strong. Because you're a new face and seen hanging out with us, you get defined too."

"Oh…" Being popular? "Just what I need… attention." I sighed. We were up on the platform now. I noticed Shinigami was there, off to the side. I saw little groups whisper as they looked at him. I guess it was rare to see him outside out of his office.

He waved us over. We walked over to him. "Ahh, Alice, how are you? Long time no see!" He nodded at everyone else, giving me unwanted specialty.

"It's only been a less than a week, Shinigami. I'm fine. How are you?" I hated small talk.

"Good, good. Oh, because it's the school term, for public reasons, call me 'Professor' Shinigami." He chuckled.

"O-Okay, Professor Shinigami." I put on a fake smile.

"How are you, Kid?" His comedic voice rang. "Taking care of Alice?" Shinigami patted Kid's head.

"I'm fine, Father. And yes, I'm taking care of her." They were talking as if I wasn't even there! My wrist chimed from my heart-like bell. It was hidden under my sleeve, so no one knew where it was coming from. "Why are you out here, Father?" Kid asked.

"Just wanted to give Alice this!" He gave me a slip. On it were numbers and times for class periods.

"O-oh… thank you, Professor!" I bowed slightly. He chuckled.

"Anytime!" He ruffled up my hair. "I better get back to my office. See ya!" He literally gave us the peace sign before bouncing off. I fixed my bangs.

"Well, we better get off to class." Liz said, leaning over my shoulder to see my list. "Hmm… you're with Stein…" Patty clapped.

"Stein?" I repeated the name.

"Yeah." Liz gave me thumbs up. "You're with us. Lucky you!" I grinned. I was glad I was with them. If I wasn't, I'd probably end up hiding under my desk.

"Come on!" Kid opened the door for us. He seemed extra formal in public. I slipped inside, with everyone else following.

"Where's everyone else?" I turned my head to try to find Roxas and the others.

"Black*Star and Soul usually cut class… Maka and Tsubaki should already be in the classroom. Roxas… I dunno, he's always like five minutes late." Kid explained.

"Do you cut class?" I asked.

"Never!" He sounded disgusted by my question. I choked back a laugh. "U-uh, Professor Stein!" We nearly got ran over by a young man riding on a wheelie chair backwards. He has gray hair, and a stitched up lab coat with a gray shirt and black pants. His round glasses shined in the morning light. I widened my eyes and blinked a few times to make sure that I wasn't seeing anything.

He had a large scar across his face, and…

A screw.

A large, metal probably, bolt came straight through his head. His twisted it. It clicked.

Click,

Click,

Click.

I tried not to stare by looking at my shoes. This was Professor Stein? This. Was. Awkward.

"Ahh, Kid, Liz, Patty." His voice was bland. "And…" Stein twisted his chair to where he saw me. "Alice, I presume?" I looked up at him and nodded slowly.

"I was sent from Professor Shinigami to make sure you didn't just take your seat. Every new student gets an introduction." He chuckled. I hugged my backpack close to my stomach. "Come along." He started wheeling down towards the hall. We followed.

Liz warned me. "Be careful… he's a scientist… he'll try to dissect you." I didn't know whether I should be scared or laughing. I simply sighed.

Whispers, laughs, and remarks flew across the hall. I didn't like it. I wrung my hands. We stopped at a doorway. A large sign was on it.

"ROOM 24 – PROFESSOR FRANKEN STEIN – MEISTER WEAPON TEACHING"

I glanced at my small piece of paper. "Rm. 24- Prof. Stein- Meister/Weapon."

"Wait out here." Stein told me. I leaned up against the wall as the teacher and my three friends walked into the room and took their seats. I didn't dare peek inside. I watched as lookers slowly passed through the door.

"Who's she?"

"Is she the new student?"

"Hey… she seems really strong…"

"She's hot!"

"What's her name?"

"I heard that someone saw her with Death The Kid's group!"

"She's obviously not a weapon, then. Liz and Patty were there."

"Yeah… plus, Kid would never partner with her, she's nothing symmetrical!" So people knew about his OCD, then, eh?

"Look at her eyes!" I stared at the floor. I wanted to run, but Stein's words froze me in my tracks.

"Yeah…"

"I want to see her in action!"

"I bet you ten bucks I can kick her butt, plus she doesn't even look that smart." I glared at the people who said that. The boy was bald except for two pointed thick strands of hair coming out of the sides of his head. He wore glasses and seemed formal with his straightened uniform. I couldn't see the other boy. They ran into the room. "She got the scary look down." Laughter. I sighed.

*-.-.-.-*

"Class, class, settle down!" Stein's voice rang. No one filled in through the doorway, but the door was left wide open. I twirled a strand of my hair. The class's laughter ceased, and everything became deadly silent.

"Now, the rumors are true." He said blankly. "We are getting a new transfer student." I heard the sound of his wheels squeaking. Stein popped his head through the doorway. He held out his hand. I took it, and he lead me into the room.

The room was large, with windows up near the ceiling. The desks were on raised rows, looking like stairs. There was a platform where there was a desk and a chalkboard. Stein rolled up the ramp, and I followed. I tried to look head on, simply twirling a strand of my hair, but I couldn't help but stare at my shoes.

"This is Alice, the newest meister at the Academy. Treat her nicely." I held my backpack behind my back now. "Alice, you'll be sitting where Tsubaki is." I looked up to see Tsubaki wave. She was in the exact middle, with Kid to her left and an empty spot on the right. Roxas was directly in front of the open seat. As I slowly got down from the platform and up the stairs, I noticed a foot suddenly stick out in front of me. I tripped over it, falling flat on my face on the steps. Pain filled my arm, but I didn't care as I slowly got on my knees to look at the person who did it.

It was the bald kid.

He smirked as he pulled his foot back in. I got up and kept walking up the stairs, past Kid and Tsubaki, and finally sitting down. Laughter and giggles flew across the room making me uncomfortable as I pulled out the handbook, pencil, and binder. My ID card shown, but the only things you can see were my age, birthday, and ranking.

A note flew from the back of my head and landed on the bald guy's desk. He unfolded it and read it. I wondered what it said.

_Hey dude the new chick is a level 3 meister… she's the same rank as Kid! _

The bald guy flipped his head around to stare at me. I ignored him and went back to scribbling notes down.

I wondered when I'd need to know how to dissect a Kishin.


	10. The Bald Kid VS Me?

"Alright, your homework is a two page report on Kishin births. Due Friday. Class dismissed." Stein rolled out of the room, falling twice along the way.

"What do we have next?" I asked Tsubaki as I gathered my things. She glanced at my list before answering.

"Well, we have lunch, then you go to Sid's room with me." She smiled. I grinned, glad someone was with me. I shut my satchel and slung it around my shoulder. As we walked out the doorway, a paper airplane hit my arm. It dropped to the floor. I bent and picked it up. I unfolded it and glanced at what it said.

"To THE NEW CHICK- Meet me on the roof –OX FORD"

I blinked. "Hey… Tsubaki?" I hid the paper as she turned her head to me.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Ox Ford?"

"The rude boy who tripped you. You know… bald head?" She sighed. "Why can't people just get along?" She shrugged.

"Hmm… how do I get to the roof?" I asked abruptly. Tsubaki gave me a confused look.

"Why do you ask?"

"I thought there was a roof?" I lied.

"Well… keep going straight and there's a staircase, go up that, and you'll eventually make it to the top." She pointed towards us. "But the cafeteria's that way." She pointed to her right, where there was a large hallway and the smell of salads and burgers filled.

"Oh, I'll be fine." I held up my small brown sack. She nodded and turned toward the hall. I walked straight, eventually hitting the stairs. I climbed them, scared an ankle would pop out and trip me again. After three flights of stairs I came upon a white trap door. I opened it and was bathed in light.

The roof top was huge, with a few benches here and there with pots of plants. The railing seemed stable, so I leaned against it and enjoyed the view, the breeze, the laughing sun. I walked over to a warm concrete bench and sat down.

I opened my lunch and began eating. As I sipped my water and bit into my red apple, I wondered if Ox had simply played a trick on me by ditching me up here. I didn't mind eating here, though. Everything seemed peaceful and calm. A little blue bird flew by, chirping.

I heard the door creak. I looked, not moving, to see who it was. I munched on my apple.

"Time to be fried, by the Lightning King!" Ox jumped out, as if to surprise me. He held a golden lightning rod in his hand, with a jagged end. I guessed that was his weapon, and not just some toy when I saw electricity fly from it. At first I'd think the two were off wavelengths, but no.

A new voice chimed in from the rod. "Where is she?"

"Over there!" Ox pointed the thing at me. I chewed my apple, wiping juice from my chin. I waved with my sticky fingers. "You! Level 3 meister! Where's your weapon!" He jabbed the air with the yellow stick, as if to stab me.

I swallowed. "Don't have one, don't need one." I set my half-eaten fruit down and sipped my water. I stood up and wiped my hands on my skirt. I crossed my arms. "What's the whole point of the ranks, anyway?"

The weapon answered. "It shows how strong you are, and allows certain privileges per rank. 1 – Every normal student here at the Academy. 2 – Very strong students, such as Maka and Soul, or Black*Star and Tsubaki, or Roxas." So they were all really strong compared to others? Cool. "3 – Teachers and staff members, like Sid. Kid's at that level simply for being Shinigami. 4 – Death Scythes, and 5 – Shinigami." I shrugged and went back eating. Boring.

"Don't ignore us!" Ox yelled, stepping closer to me. "You must know why I summoned you here!" I gave him a look.

"Summon? You mean throwing a paper airplane at me because you're too scared to face me yourself? Yeah, you summoned me." I used every bit of sarcasm I had into that one line. I refolded the airplane and threw it back at him.

"I'll defeat you, and prove to everyone how strong I am!" And with that, he lunged towards me.

He was very quick, I could say that. I jumped over his head, and landed on a one-hand handstand. I jumped back on my feet and bit the apple. Hard to tell, fighting a bald guy, I wasn't taking this seriously. His moves were easy to read. I dodged left and right, and flipping over whenever he jabbed. He flew back, panting from the workout.

"Nom nom nom…" I chewed. My sarcasm lighted the fire in him. I'd need both hands now. I threw my apple at him. Ox speared it with his weapon. He fried it to ash.

I smirked as I stretched. "Give me a light show." Purple sparks flew from my hands. I was pumped. "This is gonna be fun."

The weapon sounded shocked. "O-Ox! She's able to use Soul Drive!"

"We'll just have to make her game…" Ox looked for a good comeback. "We'll have to give her a better light show for her stupid game!" He sounded pleased.

"That doesn't make any sense!" I yelled as I ran towards him. He lunged the rod out, and electricity shot out. I was enveloped in it. I crossed my arms in an 'x' formation, and lavender shards circled around me, creating a barrier. The lightning shots bounced off.

I threw my arms to the sides. The barrier shattered. I slashed my arm twice, creating an 'x' sword cut. Ox blocked it.

"Time to finish this!" He jabbed the rod at me. I was too close to move. It would've pierced my stomach if I didn't clasp the jagged end with the palms of my hands. It looked as if I was praying. Electricity burned into me, I felt it go through my body and out anything it could, and the only way out was back through the weapon and into Ox.

"Negative versus positive, eh?" I growled. I was pissed, my first day and I was being electrocuted! Purple sparks shot out of me and hit Ox. I threw my end of the rod up towards the sky, making Ox drop it. I ran over to him and punched him, straight in the stomach. Purple shots flew, and so did the bald boy.

He landed up against the wall, his weapon on the floor near him. He couldn't get up, his breathing unsteady. Blood dripped from his mouth. I shook off the fact I was nearly burned and walked over to my lunch. I grabbed my water and walked back over to Ox. I wet my napkin and placed it over his mouth to clean it. I let go when he touched the napkin and wiped his forehead. The weapon turned back into his human form.

The lightning rod was a tall, tanned boy with his spiky hair in a small ponytail. He wore a blue undershirt with a white jacket and white pants with black shoes, but there was something more peculiar to him.

There was a red visor covering his eyes. I wondered what his eyes told, since his face was frowning. He didn't walk over to his meister, just stayed there looking at me. I poured the rest of my water out on to the ground, simply to do something.

"And now you know why I made Alice a level 3." The bouncy voice rang from nowhere, scaring all three of us. I turned my head to see Shinigami standing at the doorway. I wondered how he fit through there.

I bowed to where I was looking at my knees. "I'm sorry, Proffessor!" I straightened and walked over to grab my lunch and backpack.

"P-Professor!" Ox exclaimed. He stood up, but winced in pain.

"I saw the whole thing." Shinigami nodded. "What happened to Stein's words 'treat her nicely'? That's why." Shinigami pointed at the mess we made. "Alice is a quick-thinker, not to mention swift and tough. That's why. Now… should we get back to class? It's about to start!" He crouched down low and squeezed through the door.

I slung my backpack around my shoulder. I turned to the two boys. "Hey, do you know where Sid's class is?" They stared at me, then back at each other. They ignored me.

"Whatever. See ya." I walked over and opened the door, and went down the stairs. "Room 62… where are you?"

Ox looked at his weapon. "What a weird girl." He nodded.

*-.-.-.-.-*

"Here it is!" I looked up towards the large wooden door leading into the office.

"ROOM 62- SID BARRETT AND MARIE MJOLNIR- HOME ROOM"

I walked into the room. It was like an exact copy of Stein's room, only there was no ramp or dissecting table with knives and tools.

I saw Soul, Maka, Tsubaki, and Roxas all sitting around each other, talking and looking at various books. I was surprised to see Soul studying, but on further notice I saw he was just staring into space. I looked for the two teachers.

Sid was blue-skinned with a muscular build. His eyes had no pupils. His mouth showed his square smile and teeth. He wore a beanie, with a basketball white tee with blue jeans and sneakers. I was surprised seeing a blue teacher dressed so casually. I saw he had tattoos over both of his arms, making me feel more welcome. I touched my right shoulder.

Marie was a tall thin young woman with orangey-blonde hair that came down to her mid shoulders. She had on a black and orange dress with a spiked pattern on it, with black heels. She wore an eye-patch over her left eye with a thunder-bolt pattern.

Marie noticed me first. "Ah! You must be the new student! Alice?" I nodded as she scurried over to me and placed a hand on my head. "My you're tall!" I barely went up to her nose… "Why don't you go to where Roxas and the others are?" She pointed. I nodded. People finally started noticing me, sadly. Most of the kids looked new, so I hugged my backpack tighter. Once I reached the row I started poking Soul's back without stopping.

"Quit it." Poke. "Quit it." Poke. "Quit it." Poke. "Quit it." Poke. "Quit it, damn it!" Poke, poke, poke. "I'll kick your ass!" Soul whipped his head around to stare at his poker. I grinned.

"Kick who's ass?" I sat down next to him. He chuckled.

"You better be glad you're my friend or you'd be on the floor crying." I laughed.

"Hey, Alice!" Tsubaki came over to me. "Did you get to where you needed to go?" I nodded.

"Huh?" Maka looked at me.

"Nothing." I shook my head. I didn't want to explain the whole bit with them about Ox and his partner. "So… what are we doing?" I got up and went over to where they were pointing and talking.

Roxas explained. "We're doing a project on Soul wavelengths. It's a big deal." He shrugged as he chewed Pocky.

"Mind if I butt in?"

"I don't care." Roxas chuckled. Maka agreed.

"It'd be wonderful to have you!" Tsubaki clapped. I grinned and we got right to work.

The project was a really big deal. Our groups had to be able to connect soul wavelengths with different partners, and if not, explain why. I finally brought up the request of joining their resonating group to Maka, explaining what Shinigami said to me.

"Of course!" Maka didn't even think about it. "It would be wonderful to have a person like you in Spartoi!" I grinned at her.

"Thank you, I hope I don't seem like a burden." She shook her head.

"Never! It'd be awesome to have you on missions!" I smiled. "Who's your partner?" She asked.

"I don't have one… but neither does Roxas, right?" She nodded, and a light bulb popped above her head.

"Why don't you guys partner up?"

"No way!" I laughed.

"Why not? It could work…"

"Well… I work better solo, and can't Roxas fight without a meister?"

"Yeah, a blade comes out of both his arms, but that's it…" She sighed. "It was worth a shot."

"So is this a class team or Spartoi?" I made a circling motion with my hands.

"We have outside lessons with Stein as Spartoi, this group is just for the project."

"Oh…"

"Ding- Death! Dong- Death! Ding- Death! Dong- Death!" The bell chimed.

"That's one odd bell." Roxas nodded as we all packed our things together. We all got our stuff together and walked out the hall.

*-.-.-.-*

Soul must've seen my dismay in trying to find Kid and the guns, so he tried to calm me down by saying they wouldn't leave without me. I walked faster than the others, hoping to find Kid. Once I got through the doors and into the platform, I instantly found them, looking around through crowds for me.

Patty noticed me first. She quickly ran over to me and picked me up. I was surprised at her strength, especially since she carried me all the way to Kid and Liz.

"Hey!" I said when I was finally set down. Kid smiled at me.

"How was your first day at school?" Liz asked. We began walking down the stairs, slowly, so I wouldn't trip and fall. I shrugged.

"Interesting."

"Oh!" Patty suddenly exclaimed. "Where were you at lunch time? Tsubaki said you were asking how to get to the roof…?" She seemed confused. I searched my satchel for the crumbled up piece of paper I had picked up on my way out. I handed it to Kid.

Kid handed it to Liz. She rolled her eyes.

"Ox usually doesn't do that…" She handed it to Patty.

"He was no match for you, huh!" Patty jumped up and down on my shoulders. I shrugged her off.

"I beat them yeah, then Shinigami appeared and explained to Ox that's why I was a level 3 meister." Kid's eyes widened.

"You're a level 3?" I took out my ID and showed him.

"Aren't you one?" He pulled out his card and handed it to me.

"Death The Kid, Age 14, Birthday- October 10- Meister- Rank 3- Gender Male- ID 888888"

A picture of a Kid doing two peace signs and a blank face was his profile picture.

We traded back cards. "I've never seen you with a blank expression, Kid!" I chuckled as I put my card back into my satchel, but it was grabbed out of my hands before I could do anything.

"Don't ditch us." Roxas waved the card in the air before reading it. I tried to get it back, but I was short compared to him, barely going to his chin. He was only a little bit taller than Kid, though. I sighed and kept walking down the road.

"You don't have a last name?" He looked at me. I shook my head.

"Do you?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Yamui. Roxas Yamui." He smiled.

"Gimme my card back, Yamui." As soon as Roxas handed me the small piece of plastic, something knotted in my stomach.

I stopped in my tracks, card held out. My eyes were wide open with fear.

Darkness.

"Alice?" Roxas turned to me. I looked down at the floor.

"I sense a Kishin."


	11. His Request, My Decision

"What?" Kid sounded surprised. He looked around. "I don't sense anything, are you sure?"

I nodded. I placed a hand over my ribs. "This feeling… I'd know it anywhere." I closed my eyes and folded my hands together. "It's not as strong, but I can feel it faintly… somewhere." I tried to pinpoint the Kishin.

I saw it, at a park, a platform.

I tried to explain my vision. "I don't know where it is… A park, maybe? I see a large platform… benches… lampposts, and cherry blossoms… lots… a flag, with a skull on it…"

Liz and Patty looked at each other. "Central Park!" I nodded. The name seemed fitting to the things I was seeing. I opened my eyes.

I looked around at everyone. "Come on! Stop waiting around!" I began running, only following my instincts on where I thought the monster lurked.

* * *

><p>As soon I as I saw the cherry blossoms, the shadow attacked. He was quick, but thankfully Roxas was in front of me, and his blades shot out of his arm, blocking it.<p>

"This is going to be a lot different than before." I ran straight into the darkness, throwing punches like a maniac, Roxas following with slices and cuts. The monster yelled and flew back, and finally took form.

The Kishin was skinny, showing his bare ribs and seeing his heartbeat. Blades came from his back and chest, with razor sharp teeth and glowing red eyes.

"So you've come." It snarled. It's hoarse voice sent chills down my spine. "Time to play!" It lunged again, this time straight at me.

"Liz! Patty!" Kid yelled.

"Yeah!"

"Hahaha!" The sisters flashed white before flying into Kid's hands. He held them backwards, and began shooting with his pinkies, like last time. Golden shots flew from the twin guns, figuring he was using Soul Drive as well. Kid shot at the bony assassin, flipping him away from me. I grew angry, and for the second time held my hand out to Roxas. Without hesitating, he took it, flashed white, and became a katana.

I twirled him around with my fingers playfully before gripping him backwards. I heard Kid gasp as he saw that our souls were in perfect harmony.

"A sword?" The figure laughed at me. I grew furious. His expression reminded me of my shadow's.

"How dare you!" I began cutting away at him. Roxas's blade seemed to get sharper and sharper. I blocked the Kishin's hand attempting to karate chop me. With every strike, he seemed to get faster and faster.

"Stop cheating!" It disappeared, leaving nothing.

"Alice!" Kid yelled. I turned around to see the Kishin's mad face right above me. I barely had enough time to block his sharp knives. Sparks flew between the two metals. He jumped back.

The brown-haired kid's face turned to me inside the blade. "Let's finish this!" He panted. I nodded.

We screamed.

"Soul RESONANCE!"

I felt energy fly around us. Kid's eyes widened. Purple sparks circled around.

A black design came from my shoulders, down my arm, onto my wrist, and melted onto the blade. My tattoos carved into the side, making a beautiful pattern. The blade grew even longer, now almost one fourth bigger than its original size. Roxas gasped.

I smirked evilly.

Somehow, the charm on my wrist was the only sound I heard.

"Oh?" The Kishin cocked its head towards us. I twisted my body and slashed a diagonal cut, straight through the shadow's chest. Black blood spewed. It attacked next, cutting my cheek deeply. I felt no pain. The blood dripped down my face. I wiped it with my hand. The dark, red liquid reminded me of Himari's eyes. I stared at the monster.

It ran towards me, its long legs reaching impossible speeds. I flipped Roxas back upright. I squinted. Kid's shots flew, slowing it down.

I jabbed straight through his stomach. Black goop spilled all over the blade.

_Ching._

_Ching. _

_Ring._

The bell chimed in my ears. The Kishin roared before disappearing into gray dust and a blood red spirit. The markings on the blade disappeared as Roxas returned to his human form and grabbed the floating red ball. Liz and Patty returned to their human forms, too.

He offered it to them. "Nah," Liz refused. "Kid won't let us have souls unless we have the same number." She grinned. "Enjoy it." He swallowed it whole. I covered my minor cut with the palm of my hand while I came back to my senses.

_When I resonated with him… my tattoos formed with him… and I went killer crazy._

A familiar smile filled my mind for a split second.

My eyes widened.

_Himari?_

No… it couldn't be… I felt numbness on the back of my neck and in between my shoulder blades. My right thigh became limp for a few seconds, too. I wondered why.

"Hey… Alice?" Roxas was in front of me now, scratching the side of his head. "We make a good team, huh?" I nodded.

Silence filled the park until Patty finally yelled "Ask her, damn it!"

"Want to become partners?" My eyes widened at the question. I waited a long time, awkward silence in the heavy air before I turned on my heels, my back to him.

The blossoming park seemed dull and lifeless, as if the petals stopped falling. I turned my neck to see him.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I work alone." And with that, I walked off. It was difficult since my thigh was sore, but I didn't care. I wasn't ready for a partnership. I'd rather work alone. I turned down the alley way and into the shadows. The sun disappeared and clouds formed, making everything gray. Drops of rain splattered, like the mood I was in.

I felt remorse for my decision, but I wasn't the only one influencing my choice.

I didn't see her, but her voice called out softly, instead of her usual loud self. "You don't need him, Alice…" She cooed. I felt an invisible hand placed on my shoulder. "Like you said, you work alone, with me… I'm all you need." Her hands wrapped around me in an embrace. My eyes were dead. I couldn't see where I was going. I was just glad to see her.

I whispered. "Where were you?"

"Nowhere…" Silence. "Alice, I'm sorry for getting angry at you." Her voice was dripping like syrupy honey. "I just want you all to myself… you're all I have." Her words tore at my heart.

"No, I'm sorry… I'll never leave you, remember that." I smiled at her laughter as her presence ceased.

I didn't know it at the time, but I just drove part of my soul into the madness.

* * *

><p>"Roxas… I'm sorry…" Liz walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged her off.<p>

"She was the first person who matched soul wavelengths with me." Alice's words echoed back at me.

"_I'm sorry… I work alone."_

"But why?" I whispered. "Why can't you work with me?" It seemed like it was my fault.

An image popped into my head. She looked like Alice, only with red eyes and white hair. She wore a blank gown that never ended. Black, feathery wings sprouted from her back, making her look like a demon angel. She smirked at me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

* * *

><p>I walked into the bathroom, making sure I locked the door. I looked into the mirror. I stared at my reflection. I slipped off my coat and unbuttoned my shirt. They fell to the cold ground. I looked at my back and neck, absolutely shocked.<p>

My markings now covered the back of my neck, plus in between my shoulder blades. I didn't unzip my pants to know that the markings had spread over my thigh, too. I slipped my shirt back on, placing my jacket over the dry sink. I breathed heavily next to the mirror. My breath froze onto the glass, making a gray smudge.

I raised my finger and began writing. "42-42-564, type this number whenever you want to knock on Death's door." I whispered to myself. The glass shined brightly, making me shut my eyes.

"Yes, Alice?" Shinigami's voice rang through the cold bathroom. I saw his mask awfully close to the mirror. I waved.

"Shinigami…" I mumbled, placing my hands against the cold surface of the counter. "I need to speak with you…"

* * *

><p>"What? You're tattoos spread?" Shinigami sounded worry, making me queasy. I nodded.<p>

"It happened when after I Soul Resonated with Roxas." I looked down. I didn't want to talk about him, but I had to. "My markings spread down my arm," I explained. "And onto Roxas's blade." I glanced at Shinigami. He was scratching his head.

"Where exactly did they spread?"

"The back of my neck… in between my shoulder blades, and I'm sure my right thigh."

"Hmm…"

"There's something else…" I choked back tears. Roxas's expression of my answer burned into my heart.

"Yes?"

"Roxas… he asked to become partners with me… I wanted to… but I thought it was too soon, and I said something cruel…" A tear streamed down my cheek. My scratch had closed up, and I had put a band aid over it once Shinigami pointed it out.

His voice grew stern. "What did you tell him?"

My lip quivered. I clenched my fist. I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut and yelling at the floor. "I said I worked alone!"

"Oh, Alice… it's not so bad…" Shinigami tried to cheer me up, but his kindness made me feel worse. I snapped my neck up to stare at his mask.

"No it's not! I feel like such a terrible person! I wanted to become his partner, too… but…" I mumbled. I raised my voice. "I don't _know_!" I clenched my hair with my fists, shaking my head. I cried, furiously trying to stop. Shinigami was the only living person I could turn my fears, turn my secrets to.

Himari was just someone in my soul.

"You're not… Hey, when the time is right, you'll know what to do." I slowly looked at him, wide eyed. His words hit me somewhere else, like none before. It… inspired me.

"But, what if I get scared… and do something?" I wiped my tears. "What if I screw up again?"

"What do you mean?"

I stared straight at him. I trusted him more than anything, like a father I never got. "When I resonated with him… I went… crazy…" My expression grew stern. "That's a reason why I denied him… I didn't even understand myself, let alone become partners with somebody." Shinigami nodded slowly.

"I see, I see. Well, like I said, when the time is right…" He repeated.

I finished his sentence. "I'll know what to do…" I smiled, and finally stopped crying. "Thank you, Shinigami." I wanted to hug him.

"Anything to help a friend!" He saluted me. I mimicked his actions. "Bye-bye!" His presence faded, and the only thing left in the mirror was my reflection.

* * *

><p>"I thought he'd never leave!" Himari's voice rang out. I saw her in the reflection of the mirror behind me. I turned. Nothing. Back at the mirror, she was even closer to me, just a few steps away. I couldn't see her face.<p>

"H-Himari!" I whispered.

"What happened to, I'll never leave you?" Fake sadness was forced into her words. I stomped my foot.

"I won't!"

"Then why are you telling all your troubles to that dumb god when you could be telling them to me?" She placed her thin hand against her heart. Himari walked closer, and whispered into my ear.

"Why must you hurt me?" She clenched her heart. I felt it.

One beat at a time, I felt my heartbeat resonate with hers in harmony. I glared at her.

"I'm not… you're… you're just a part of my soul, so technically I'm talking with myself. I'd never get anywhere… But Shinigami is an actual being." I sighed.

I still couldn't see her face. "Are you implying I have no feelings, just a mere _copy of you_? What if you're a copy of _me_?" I laughed. Her presence disappeared.

I walked out of the bathroom and set my jacket down on my bed. I sat down. I stared at my folded fingers.

"What am I going to do?" I stared at the open doorway. "Aki… I haven't forgotten about you. I miss you…" I stood up and walked into the kitchen, leaning against the counter with my elbows. I stared at the giant pot where I was boiling potatoes, carrots, onions, and meat. I checked the pot roast, and set it off the oven to cool down. I stared at the time on my phone as I stood there silently.

_Where are they?_

Five minutes past. Two more minutes. Two more. One more. I sighed as grabbed a small cloth from the counter and soaked it in cool water. I wringed it until it stopped dripping and placed it on my forehead. A headache pounded, making my rub my temples. I grabbed a sticky note from the granite counters and wrote-

_To Kid- Take pot off oven and let it cool for a while before eating –Alice _

I set the pot roast back onto the burners and set the fire on low to keep it warm but not to burn it. I opened the steamy lid and poked a carrot with a fork I grabbed. I tasted it. It was fully cooked, good.

I walked to my room and changed into my pajama shirt. I slipped into bed, dreaming about when the three would get home. Ten minutes later, I heard them come through the door. They were strangely silent. I heard Kid peel off the sticky note and read it silently to himself. Once he put the giant pot off the burners, I heard his footsteps walk down the hall. I turned onto my back, replacing the wet cloth back on my forehead.

"Alice?" Kid's voice came through the open doorway. I had long since closed my eyes, so it seemed I was asleep. I kicked my legs, slipping my high knee socks down to my ankles. I heard his footsteps creep closer to the bed. I felt his weight press down against the side of the mattress as he sat down. Kid gently grabbed my shoulder and shook it. "Alice?" He repeated. Kid took the cloth off my head and placed a cold hand against my warm forehead, then my cheek, then back on my forehead. He placed the cloth back onto my head, and I turned onto my side as he walked out.

I opened my eyes to see his staring back at mine. He had a hand placed up against the doorway, his back to me, and his golden eyes with a sad expression.

I closed my eyes again and fell into fitful nightmares and dreams.

* * *

><p><em>I was in a dark corner, with everyone around me completely ignoring me, talking, laughing, and having a ball. I had my knees close to my chest, hugging them. Black tears dribbled down my cheeks and chin.<em>

_Someone similar to Tsubaki whispered to a Soul replica. "Look at that poor being, in the corner there."_

"_In the corner?" Soul whispered._

"_In the corner…" Tsubaki nodded. I noticed their voices were singing, a terrible melody. "That girl there, that poor girl who lost her own sibling." I put my hands to my ears, but it was no use. A fake Maka and Black*Star joined them. I noticed everyone was in medieval clothing, suits and fluffy dresses._

_Black*Star laughed, and Maka sang softly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, who will she choose? That shadow or us?" _

_Liz came over, and Patty laughed a harmony with Black*Star. Liz sang the chorus. "She is a mere servant to her evil. Repent, repent!" I cried harder, and buried my face into my golden dress. _

_Kid's voice sang, louder than everyone's whispers. "How can we trust her, if she doesn't trust us? Repent, repent!"_

* * *

><p>I woke up with a start, panting hard and sweating. My damp cloth fell onto my lap. I wiped the sweat from my head with it. I stared at the clock.<p>

6:00 AM.

I sighed. Silently I got dressed, and went into the bathroom to brush my hair. I put it up in a ponytail with my long string of blue ribbon. After that I went and grabbed my backpack and went into the kitchen. I sat down on the couch with an apple in my mouth. Juice dribbled down my chin. I checked my bag for everything.

Sack lunch, notebook, pencil, ID, binder. I closed it and stared at my phone time.

6:25.

I looked down at my shoes. I stood up and went back into the kitchen. I got another sticky note and wrote.

_Went to school early- needed to check something. –Alice_

I grabbed my brown satchel and walked out the door, hearing Kid yawn as the door slammed.

The air was chilly and nipped at my face as I walked out. I walked slowly, enjoying the loneliness. The sun had barely begun to rise as I was halfway up the stairs to the Academy. The morning was extra cloudy, cold, and muddy. I checked my phone.

6:40.

I had taken extra time in getting here. I watched my breath melt into the sunless morning. I took one step at a time. Shinigami had told me the staff members were here at 6:30, so I relieved to find the doors unlocked. I stepped inside, happy to be warm. I walked slowly around all the halls, and up the stairs to the second floor. There, down to my right, laid the library. I entered.

"Hello? Anyone here?" The library was huge, with books among books, all with a number on them.

Rank 1.

Rank 2.

Rank 3.

Rank 4.

And Rank 5. Those had a barricaded fence around that entire section. I sighed. Tables were placed oddly here and there, with the only lights given off in the dark room was the small lamps on them. I stepped up to the large counter, and pushed the small hand bell.

"What do you want?" A hoarse voice asked. I saw no one. It's as if the question was asked by the wind.

I pulled out my ID from my bag and placed it out on the table. "I was wondering if you could show me the book of Resonation and Madness."

"Mmm…" A book floated out in front of me, with gold letters of my last name printed on it's hard cover. "All of the thosebooks are Rank 3… oh!" The voice noticed my ID. "Alright, sign your initials here." The book flipped opened to the front page, where there was a little tab where you signed your initials on it. A few initials such an "M", "F.S.", and another "M" were scribbled over the slip of paper.

"Sign." The shadow placed a bony finger and tapped the book. It turned and went back to whatever it was doing. I grabbed a nearby pen and scribbled the letter 'A'.

"Hmmm, you're free to go." It shooed me out into the hall. I quickly shoved the leather book into my sack.

_I need to find out, why that happened… _

I touched the back of my neck as the bell rang. I quickly rushed to Stein's room.

Ox was there, and was glaring at me through his round glasses. Thankfully he didn't trip me on my way up. Kid glanced at me and waved. I ignored him.

Tsubaki glanced over at me. "Are you Alice? You seem… tired. Rough night?" I nodded. She giggled. "Well, everyone has their poopy days." I smiled gently and began writing notes, and trying ever so hard not to close my eyes for more than a blink.

* * *

><p>As soon as I heard the bell, I stood up and began packing my things. Despite my grogginess, I was the first out of the class. I started down the hall, down past the cafeteria, and up the stairs.<p>

The breeze welcomed me onto the small terrace. I smiled. I loved this weather. Dark clouds covered the sun's brightness still while giving off a cool light. I sat down on the bench, like yesterday. I noticed the small impact that Ox made yesterday was completely gone. I pulled my brown sack out of my pack and began eating. As I munched on crackers I stared blankly at my left. I couldn't help but stare at the amazing view. All of Death City, plus the desert that surrounds it.

I started to think of all that happened. I put my head down and shivered. It was cold. I dangled my feet. I wondered why I was ignoring Kid. I wondered how Father was doing. I wondered about Mother, and if she was in pain, where ever she was, heaven or hell. I wondered where Aki was, and if she was safe. I wondered how Roxas was doing.

I closed my eyes as tears bit the wind.

_Roxas…_

_Roxas…_

…

…

…


	12. Rain, Rain, Go Away

Tears filled my eyes and dropped onto my lap. I stopped eating. I didn't feel sad, just… empty.

A small wind flew from behind me. My hair gently flew in front of me. I looked up to see a small drop fly away. A small, clear tear. I wiped my eyes. There's no reason to cry.

"_Crying is stupid. It shows signs of weakness. I'm not weak! And neither are you, Himari." _Father's words drifted into my head. I wiped my tears away as memories from so long ago unfolded, piece by piece.

* * *

><p>"<em>Daddy! Daddy, let's go over there!" I pointed to a small stall full of masks. I tugged and pulled on my father's large hand that was enclosed over my small one. What seemed like forever, I finally dragged him over to the shop. An old man greeted us.<em>

"_Ahh, Jinen, it's been a long time, my friend!" I looked at him. He stroked his whiskery chin. I saw a warm smile and bright eyes despite his wrinkles. He was completely bald except for the sides of his head. He wore a light green yukata with a tan apron over it. I ignored him and went to stare at the masks._

"_Indeed, Souta. How have you been?" My father smiled at him. I gripped his hand more tightly. My father also wore a light green yukata, while I wore a pink kimono with orange goldfish. _

"_Oh, and how's little Mari doing?" The man reached over and patted my head. My hair was down, and it barely went down to my back halfway. "My, you've grown up some! Last time I saw you, you were crawling around on all fours!" I stared wide eyed. _

"_Really?" My quiet voice squeaked. He nodded. _

"_How old are you, anyway?"_

_I counted with my fingers. One, two, three, four, five. I shoved my pointed fingers at him, frowning. Souta laughed. _

_Jinen laughed as he got out some money from the folds of his yukata. "Which one do you want, Mari?" I jumped up and down._

"_You're going to buy me one? Oh, yay! Yay!" I clapped my hand with my father's in joy. I looked around the shop. _

"_I got all the Chinese Zodiacs. Plus the Western symbols." _

"_Mari was born in the year of the rabbit… and I believe her sign is Gemini." Father reached over and grabbed a large rabbit mask. It had two red eyes and a small mouth. Plastic ears stuck out of the white head, with pink insides. It was adorable and I hugged it as he handed it to me. I put it on and tied the small string in the back. Small holes allowed me to see Father hand the money to Souta._

"_Always good to see you, my friend." Souta bowed. Father did the same._

_For the rest of the day I wore the mask that was too large for my small head, smiling. No one knew I was grinning, they just saw the grin of the rabbit._

* * *

><p>"Huh?" I woke up from my daze. I was sitting in my seat, looking at Maka's face. I had walked from the rooftop all the way down to Homeroom while dreaming about old memories. I shook myself awake.<p>

"Alice… class is over." Maka gently slapped my cheek. I blinked.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were late again." I rubbed my head.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I grabbed my backpack and walked out the door. Tsubaki, Black*Star, Soul, Maka and I were walking down the hall as I dreamed off again.

"Hey! Alice!" Black*Star screamed into my ear. My head twitched as I turned to glare at him.

"What?"

"I heard you rejected Roxas! Why?" Black*Star folded his hands behind his head. I looked at my shoes walking down the halls.

I shook my head softly and shrugged. I blinked several times.

"Answer me!" Black*Star demanded. I blinked faster. I didn't notice that the others were walking faster than me, but it was really me who was going slower. Soul turned his head and stopped. Everyone else did too. I stopped as well. We were a good five feet from each other.

"Alice?" Soul cocked his head at me. I hung my head lower.

"Answer me! Why?" Black*Star repeated. Tsubaki elbowed him in the ribs. I gripped my backpack tighter.

I ran straight ahead, head down. I pushed Soul hard out of the way, making him fall with a thump. I didn't stop, rushing past all the crowds. I rushed right past Kid, who was waiting for me. A slight drizzle began to set in, making me wet. I refused to cry. I refuse!

I wanted to cover my face behind the mask.

I slipped on the wet cement. I landed on my stomach, pushing my sock down and scraping my left knee. I wiped the debris off the small wound and stood up. The small dripping of rain became a downpour. I looked for a hanging to hide under, but found none. I was soon soaked to the bone. I sighed as I walked over to the next corner, pushing the button for the walk sign to flash. Cars flew by, splashing me more.

After three minutes of constant traffic and button-pushing, I sat down on the sidewalk. I'd have to wait for the rush hour to die down. I hugged my knees to keep warm. The pouring water cleaned the scrape. I felt no pain, thankfully. I hid my backpack so it wouldn't get as drenched as I was, but nothing helped.

It seemed like hours, no, days, just sitting there. Not wanting cry, I let my mind go completely blank.

Suddenly a dark shadow appeared over mine. A big, black, blob. The rain stopped, but everywhere else it poured nonstop. I let go of my legs to turn around.

A smile warmed my cold head.

I whispered, my throat dry from the rest of my body.

"Roxas?"

* * *

><p>He held his hand out to me. His other hand held a large black umbrella covering both of us. Roxas was leaning over me, making sure I was kept dry. I grabbed his hand and he helped me up.<p>

"You're soaked! Here!" Roxas held the umbrella out. Even it was a small offer, I didn't want to reject him again. I meekly grabbed the umbrella and held it over both of us.

"Thank you." I smiled back at his childish grin.

Roxas looked above me and laughed. "I see why you were waiting. Damn traffic." I turned to see that the cars were jammed up. Roxas took my free hand. My eyes went big.

"Come on." He ran straight into the cars with me in tow. We barely missed hitting trucks and vans, but I didn't see anything. I was too busy blushing at his hand enveloped over mine.

"Whoo! We didn't get run over!" He punched the air. I had the black umbrella over my shoulder, completely drenching him. His hand was still holding mine.

"Wait!" I interrupted his cheer. "You rushed into the traffic knowing we'd get hit?"

Roxas flapped his arm, making my arm wiggle with it. "I'm not a SuperMan." He winked and finally let go of my hand. I placed it around my umbrella that was still slung over my shoulder. They teach you to hold a parasol like that, in a lady-like fashion. We began walking in silence. Somehow my backpack was clipped to my skirt, making it bang against my leg with every step.

I decided to face my fears. I spoke loudly through the pounding rain. "About yesterday… I'm… I'm sorry."

He chuckled. I looked at him. "There's no reason to be sorry." His voice suddenly became quiet. "But… I just want to know…" Roxas looked into my eyes. "Why?"

We both slowed our pace. I gripped the umbrella more tightly. I shook all fears away and stared back into his blue eyes.

"I have…" I paused, thinking for the right word. "Questions, doubts about myself." I clenched my soaked jacket. "And, I'm not ready for a partner… if I have… if…" I paused again.

"You aren't ready for a partner if you don't know yourself, you mean?" He finished my sentence. I nodded.

I grinned at him. "But…"

He cocked his head. "But?"

My smile got bigger. "But if I find the answers about myself, I'll definitely reconsider your offer!" After what seemed like an eternity, Roxas grinned back at me.

"Promise?"

"Promise." I made an 'x' over my heart.

"I'll keep you up to it." Roxas winked.

* * *

><p>I hummed as I stirred the thick red sauce and read the thick blue cookbook. I checked the noodles and went back to reading the rest of the recipe. I had taken a hot shower after I got home, and my damp hair made wet spots on my black shirt. I ruffled a long, frilly black skirt I borrowed from Liz. It went over my knees. (Don't worry. She said it was okay for me to borrow clothes.) I hopped up on the counter, untying the loose string holding the back of my stained apron. I looked at my bare feet.<p>

"Hey, we're back!" I looked up to see the three partners walk in through the door. They were all soaked, but not nearly as bad as I was before.

I smiled and waved before going back to reading the recipe. Kid came over after hanging his wet jacket over the coat hanger.

"Pasta?" He sniffed the air. I nodded.

"Unsymmetrical. Just how you wanted it." I chuckled to myself. God, I was killing myself with this humor of mine.

Kid sighed. "I'm guessing your room is a mess, as well?" I shook my head.

"I was waiting for the water to boil, so I washed my uniform, plus made my bed!" I clapped at my small feat. He patted my head while laughing. I laughed too. Soon, everyone was laughing, giving me this warm feeling deep in my chest.

_You know... ever since I talked with Roxas..._

_I feel... happy._

* * *

><p>"This. Is. Amazing!" Patty gobbled up the noodles faster than ever. I twirled my fork clockwise in a very lady-like fashion. Kid attempted to make it symmetrical, and failing, making me choke with laughter.<p>

"Where did you learn to become such a good cook? Seriously, I can't boil water!" Liz pointed her fork at me. I shrugged.

"Well at least I found one good thing about me."

* * *

><p>"Hey… Kid?" I had my legs close to his thigh. Liz and Patty went to their rooms to play games, while Kid and I stayed out reading and chatting about random things. I leaned against the armrest as he turned his head.<p>

"Yes?"

"I need to ask a favor of you." I shut my book and set it on my lap. Kid did the same.

"What?"

I twirled a strand of my hair that fell from my face. It was still a little bit damp, but barely.

"Well… today, I had a memory of something from my childhood." I looked into his soft eyes. "And I want you to come with me to get it." I sat up, and leaned into his shoulder. "Please?" I begged.

"What is it you want from you're old house?" He pushed my face away, making me land on my head. I kicked him.

"Just come with me."

* * *

><p>Me and Kid turned down a corner. The rain had finally stopped, but black clouds still dotted the sky. I prepared for a storm, holding onto Roxas's umbrella. Kid decided not to bring one.<p>

"So tell me, where is your house?" I remembered our past conversation.

"_I'm not going with you."_

"_Why…?"_

"_I thought you wanted to stay away from your past."_

"_I do! I just need to get something."_

"_Fine."_

"On the outskirts of town." I stepped over a puddle. The smell of burnt wood filled my nose as we drew near my old home. I began to doubt why I was truly coming here.

"Alice?" Kid touched my shoulder. I stared, wide eyed. We had stopped, in front of where the old home should have been.

In its stead was a giant pile of burnt wood and ashes.

I wanted to faint, but thankfully my weak knees supported me. I took a step forward and touched the damp wood. No one had noticed it because the rain had stopped it from spreading. There were few houses near my old one, and they were all abandoned. I stepped on a blackened sturdy plank, raising my long skirt above with my hand, raising it above my knees. I hopped from one plank to another, having a tight grip on Roxas's umbrella. Kid began scurrying over, slipping at almost every step. I wandered on.

I looked back. I was a good twenty feet from the road, and in a small pile of ashes that went to my ankles. A new, odd smell wafted into my nose. I crouched down low and grabbed a handful of black dust and sniffed it gently.

Gasoline?

This was definitely the smell of gasoline. I remember Father's old pick-up stuttering and leaving the stench all throughout the area as if someone just passed gas. I let the black sand drip out of my hand and picked up a small plank. I looked at it.

No real damages… I wondered what I was looking for. I searched the plank all around before noticing something. Some of the front had blacker splash marks, meaning the fire definitely was started through a leak and a match. I sighed.

_Who would do something like that?_

I began searching through ashes and planks, once pricking my finger while fingering the ground. As I sucked on the finger as blood beaded up, I gently brushed away debris. I saw the small crook of a nail standing out. A white-painted board stuck to the ground, refusing to come out. I smirked.

"I found it!" I called. He slipped and slid over to me. He was dirty and had soot on his nose. I placed the folded umbrella down and began pulling on the untouched board. It was difficult, especially with the dangerous nail. Kid came over and shooed me away, then crouched down and started tugging. Eventually, he pulled the plank up, and by the look on his face that it was a rough battle. I chuckled as I peered inside what the board was protecting for so many years.

It was a small hole, as wide as my shoe and as long as my forearm. I began brushing more dust and dirt away.

"What are you looking for?"

"Half a decade. It's been half a decade since I've seen this." I grinned as my pricked finger became sore. I had hit something. With much effort I pulled it from the ground.

"Is that…?" I wiped the face with my sleeve. It was soon polished and looked new. I held it up.

"My mask."

* * *

><p>I smiled softly. I stood and brushed the dirt from my knees. Kid did the same.<p>

"Why would you want a mask?" He glanced at me. Kid crouched again and grabbed the black umbrella.

We began walking, me skipping and Kid struggling to keep balance as we crossed over to the sidewalk.

"Explain the mask, now, please." I nodded at his request.

"I received it a long, long time ago. It just, has… sentimental value." I covered my face with the material and tied the thin string around the back of my head. I turned to look at him, looking through the small holes indented in the eyes.

"Finally, you're symmetrical!"

* * *

><p>I hopped onto my bed, staring up on the ceiling. My clean pajama shirt hugged my waist. I pulled it down since I didn't want to slip under the covers, and I might turn and reveal my pink panties.<p>

Tee-hee… panties.

I giggled as I turned my head. On my bed-stand laid the large, now fully clean mask. I wondered why I went back to get it. I turned onto my side to pick it up and hold it close to my face. The ears were aged and seemed to fall off, but it had a sturdy grip to the top of the mask. I traced the painted eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and whiskers before I set it back down.

I let my eyes roll into their sockets as I drifted into a much-needed sleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mommy, we're home!" I took off the mask and showed it to her. Her bright face and dazzling smile always made my heart warm. She gently took it from my hands and put it on hers, making spooky noises and poking my belly, making me giggle. I sat up on her lap and kissed her cheek before wrapping my arms around her. My shirt didn't touch hers like it usually did. I let go and stared. <em>

_Mother's belly was big, as if she stuffed a small pillow under her bright yellow kimono. I placed my hand on it. It was tight and round, not a pillow. I looked up at Mother._

"_Did you eat a pillow?" I asked stupidly. I cocked my head at her slightly. Her smile faded for a quick second before returning, even shinier and prettier._

"_No… Mari…" She began as she placed a hand on my warm cheek. She rubbed it with her thumb. "Well, Mari, Mother's carrying a baby."_

_My eyes widened. "A baby?" I hopped down from her lap and sat on the free stool. I crossed my legs, very adult-like. "Explain." I said as deeply as I could._

_She laughed. "Well, honey, dear… There's not much to say, really. You're going to be a big sister." My eyes popped out of my head._

"_I'm going to have a baby sister?" I stood up, tossing the stool to the floor. I picked it up and set it in balance before exploding. _

"_Yay! Yay! Her name… Rin! No… Baby sister! I'm going to be an older sister! Yay!" I ran around the room, flapping me arms and yelling. I hopped down from the couch and landed on a nearby pillow. I laughed._

"_Her name is going to be Hikari. Hikari, Amuza."_

"_Hikaki?" I repeated. I stretched out the 'aki'. _

"_Hikar- What did you say?" Mother turned to look at me._

"_Hikaki… Aki! Aki!" I clapped my hands. "Hikaki! Yeah! Yeah!" I cheered._

_Mother and Father looked at each other. "That sounds lovelier than Hikari… light… but the way Mari says it, it's just a bunch of letters jumbled." Mother whispered._

_I walked over and tugged on Mother's arm. "Hikari 'Aki' Amu-uza." I had a hard time pronouncing my last name. "If you like Light… we could have Aki as her middle name." I tilted my head sideways. I wanted to make Mother and Father happy, even though I wanted Hikaki as her first name. _

"_Oh, Himari… you're wonderful!" She bent down and hugged me. I squeezed her back. "We'll name her Hikaki."_


	13. The Fateful Reunion!

I woke up with my shoulders shaking. My head bobbed to the left, leaning into soft skin.

"Huh…" I slowly opened my eyes to see an arm shaking me. My face felt flushed, but everything else was freezing cold. I blinked and looked straight forward.

Kid was towering over me, sitting near my waist and shaking my shoulders. Getting the wrong idea, I sat straight up and-

_SLAP_

I smacked his cheek as hard as I could, leaving a bright red hand-print on the left side of his face. My face was a deep scarlet.

"Oww! What the hell!" He rubbed his stinging cheek. I covered myself with the thin sheet.

I looked at the clock. 7:59… 8:00. I blinked.

"We're going to be late!" I shrilled. Kid laughed, but flinched. He rubbed his face harder.

"No school, sadly. It was raining pretty bad, we're practically underwater. Thankfully the storm stopped this morning." Kid stood up. I noticed he was wearing a green and black striped collared shirt. I hugged my- I mean, his undershirt.

Kid held his hand out to me. I gently grabbed it and he pulled me up to my feet. I yawned and stretched. I buttoned up the bottom button that came loose when I was asleep. I felt groggy, tired, and my knees shook slightly.

"Are you going to be in your pajamas all day?" Kid asked. I sat back down and put on a pair of warm, white fuzzy socks. I stood again.

"Yeah. Problem?"

"Well, everyone is coming here tonight to hang out, so I kind of figured you'd get dressed."

I giggled before slugging him in the back playfully. "Oh, I'll pull something off." I walked out with Kid following.

Liz and Patty were in the kitchen, and the smell of too much frying filled my nose. They, too, were in their pajamas. Liz looked up, and smiled. Suddenly, a small fire burst up from the stove where she was cooking, nearly singing her hair.

"Ah!" I ran over to the stove and turned off the burners. The sizzling of burnt bacon soon faded.

"What were you trying to do?" Kid leaned over on the counter and examined the ashes. I picked up the pan and threw the contents into the trashcan nearby.

"Cook breakfast for Alice…" Patty started. She giggled. "She seemed blue yesterday, so… yeah!" She clapped her hands. I grinned.

"Thank you." I began turning the burners back on and placing cold strips of bacon back onto the pan. Soon we were eating on well-cooked bacon and eggs.

* * *

><p>"What do you want to do?" Liz poked my shoulder. I had my legs hanging over the top of the couch and my head rolling off the seat, with blood rushing to my skull. Liz and Patty did the same, with Kid reading by my other side.<p>

"I dunno." I poked Kid's knee. "What do you want to do?"

Kid closed his book and shrugged. "Don't know…"

Patty stood up and grabbed me and Liz's hands. "Let's go over to Maka's!" She rushed us to their room.

Their room was similar to my room, only lots more pink and blue and yellow. I yawned and sat on their double bunk. Patty's was on top, all messy, while Liz's was on the bottom, also messy. I twirled a strand of my hair. They had a large mirror directly in front of the beds. I looked at myself. My hair was messy, strands falling onto my face and chest and shoulders. I also had a cowlick. My eyes seemed slow and tired.

I sighed as I felt my forehead. It was burning hot. I hated myself as I figured out I was running a fever.

I stood up as Liz showed me a bunch of shirts and skirts. She asked about her borrowed black skirt, and I said it was in my room, so she ran to get it.

"How about this!" Patty showed me a black tee with a pink tank top. A pink heart was spray painted onto the front with the words "PUNK" written on the side.

Liz came back with my bra, white jacket, and her skirt. She handed me my clothing before she chuckled and ruffled the black skirt.

I put on the tank top, it hugging my waist, then the shirt, and then the jacket. I noticed the felt inside was blue. I put on a pair of skinny jeans. I made sure to make sure they weren't looking, so they wouldn't see my markings.

I put on my charm bracelet and my necklace. I kept my earring in my room. I also put on my checkered band.

"Ta-da!" I turned around. Liz and Patty pulled their shirts on while they turned their heads. They wore the same exact outfit- Red shirt with jeans and a small white tie. Together, they looked absolutely adorable.

"You look so cute!" Patty walked over and tugged me over to the bed. They sat me down and began brushing my hair.

"Your hair is so glossy… unlike mine." Liz shook her dirty-blonde waves. She grabbed Patty's end of my hair and began braiding. Patty crawled over to her sister and began combing hers, making a hair salon conga line.

I flipped my thick braid back and forth. I blushed in the mirror. I was pretty, unlike the other times I've looked into my reflection. I crawled over to Patty and began brushing out the many knots, careful not to hurt her, but it was difficult.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys!" Maka waved. Her usual sandy-hair pigtails was now down, framing her face. She wore a snug blue jacket and leggings. She went back to reading a book on the couch. Soul was at the kitchen, bending over and grabbing assortments of food out of the fridge. He wore a white tee shirt and red and black pajama bottoms.<p>

"Hey-o, Maka-o!" Patty marched over and sat down next to her. Liz and I did the same.

"Ahh, Alice, nice to see you." Maka smiled at me. My face went pink. "How are you?"

"Yeah, Alice." Soul sneered, sitting on the armrest and placing an arm around my shoulder and squeezing me tightly. I shrugged off his ever-growing grip on my shoulder. "You're quite strong, for a girl, you know." He shifted positions in his seat, making me remember pushing him on his butt.

I looked down at my hands which were fingering the hem of my shirt.

I whispered. "I'm sorry…" I didn't want to talk about yesterday. My brain slammed against my skull.

"Whatever…" Soul released my arm, and walked into the hall. A few minutes later he returned, wearing an orange shirt with a black leather jacket. His white hair was spiky and out of place to his crimson eyes. He wore baggy jeans and sneakers.

"I'm hanging out with Black*Star." He didn't even wave, just slammed the door shut.

I kept staring at my hands. I felt terrible, not just me being sick.

A hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Maka smiling at me, rubbing my arm.

"It's okay, Soul's just an ass sometimes." She giggled. I smiled softly and leaned back in my seat.

* * *

><p>"So what…" Liz, Patty, and Maka were on the floor redoing each others hair. I chilled out on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television.<p>

"A young girl named Aki, who-" I flipped to another channel.

"Huh?" I switched back to the news.

"was found on the road a week or two ago, now speaking. Breaking news, the small child found on the road drugged now speaking!" The newsman repeated.

I leaned in closer as he spoke. "Aki woke up barely this afternoon after being unconscious for well over a week. After everything was calmed down, she explained everything. Here is one of our caretakers, who spoke to this girl."

A woman showed her face on the screen. She was fat and ugly and mean-looking.

If she lacked beauty, her voice was dripping with honey. "The girl woke up barely today, relieving all of us. We thought she had died out of over-dose of sleeping syndrome." She shook her head. "Like last time, she asked for her sister, saying exactly- 'Onee-chan! Where's my onee-chan?' Eventually she calmed down and said her name was Aki. She couldn't remember anything else."

_Like me, kinda… _

"You heard it!" The man started. "Upon further questioning, Aki can't remember her sister's face, or anything else. Soon she will be put under adoption. If you have any information, please, go on our website and contact the local police station." I clicked the news to a random commercial on toothpaste.

_She… she really forgot about me… Oh, Aki… _

Tears stung my eyes. I shook them away. I was glad, this was what I wished for.

_Right?_

_I hoped she'd live a happy life… without me, a burden to her._

"Alice?" Maka looked at me.

"Hmm?" I looked up.

Liz came in. "Thinking about that little girl? She's kind of like you… so sad, I wouldn't know what to do without Patty." She slung her arm around her sister's shoulder, making the both of them giggle.

I whispered quietly, making sure no one heard me. "We're a lot more alike than you think, Liz."

* * *

><p>"What now…" Maka thought aloud. Patty was watching TV, Liz was lying on the floor picking at the carpet, and she was reading a book. I was in the kitchen making tea for everyone. The kettle screamed, piercing my ears. I poured two cups. (Maka is the only other one who drinks tea.)<p>

I walked over and handed her a piping hot cup. Despite the burning, I sipped in a lady-like fashion, my right hand covering it, and holding the cup on the bottom with my left. Maka slurped it down.

"Hey… when's the summer festival?" Liz asked. She sat up, hair falling down her forehead. I set my cup down beside me on the table.

"Uh… June, I think. Why?" Maka replied, setting her cup down completely empty. I got up and poured more for her.

"No reason…" She lied back down again, a dreamy mist in her eyes.

"Thinking about something?" I sipped my tea and swallowed before I spoke. She seemed scared by my sentence, because she instantly tensed up.

"No reason!" She repeated.

* * *

><p>Eventually, we ended up playing games and such, talking about the weather (literally). Finally the clock struck seven, and I was completely worn out. Liz must've noticed, because she stood me up and excused us to leave. Maka nodded and waved goodbye.<p>

I struggled up the stairs. Patty laughed about a comment Liz made on how unsymmetrical that place always is, mimicking Kid.

"Alice?" Patty turned to me. I was falling apart from the other two. I put a hand on my forehead, and practically burned my palm. My cheeks felt flushed. I panted once we got up the stairs.

I looked up. I was tired. Liz and Patty walked over, the tall one grasping my shoulder and feeling my cheeks and head.

"Dang… Alice… you're burning! I noticed you were slow all day, but I never thought you were sick! Oh my, let's get you home already!" She grabbed my hand and gently pulled me to the door. We stepped inside.

"Back? At seven? Evil, evil!" Kid called out half-heartedly as Patty scooted me along. He was looking in the fridge and grabbed out a water bottle.

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Liz called, dismissing him. They took me to my room, where they made me change into my pajama shirt. I sat on the bed, panting from the much needed effort to redress.

"Is everything all right?" Kid walked up to the doorway as Liz and Patty were in the bathroom looking for a thermometer. I loosened my braid, my crimped hair falling down my back. I spread my free toes around the plush carpet.

Kid turned his head sideways. "You're cheeks are flushed, are you ok?" I looked up at him, my eyes telling the story. He rushed over and felt my head, his soft, cold hand felt like ice compared to my head. I moaned because suddenly my stomach pounded against my body. I placed a hand over my mouth, thinking I would vomit. My stomach eased. I lied down on my side, my bangs falling onto my face as I squished my head into the soft pillow. I felt too weak to open my eyes as I heard the twins run back into the room, shaking a thermometer to get it ready.

"Open." Kid grabbed my jaw open and stuck the stick inside. I closed it, the plastic-glass tasting odd on my tongue. For a while everything seemed deadly silent, and I thought I was, too. Kid wrapped his fingers around my jaw and opened again, taking the thermometer out. It left a plastic after taste. I regained just enough strength to open my eyes.

Kid stared at the thermometer, making sure not to touch the part was in my mouth.

"104… when did you get so sick? You were fine earlier…" Kid began.

My voice sounded hoarse as I whispered. "I've been sick all day… but it didn't take its toll until now…" I closed my eyes again as I held my clammy hands close to my chest. I didn't get sick often, being sick only twice before in my life, but nothing compared to these headaches and pains.

"Hmm… you shouldn't be out then." Kid sighed as he wrapped the sheet around me and tucking me in, like a little child. "Do you want anything?" He began to stand. Somehow, somehow… I quickly reached out and grabbed his retreating wrist. I opened my eyes again and saw everyone's surprised expression.

"I want to not be alone." Well, really, my throat was really dry, but I didn't complain. Kid sat back down again and crossed his legs.

He turned to his partners. "She'll be okay, why don't you guys go to your room?" Liz and Patty nodded and backed out of the room, slowly, shutting the door behind them. I turned back onto my back and tightened my grip around Kid's wrist.

"Thank you." I mouthed out the words. He wiped the small sweat drops from my forehead with his sleeve.

"No problem, anything for a friend." Kid grinned before frowning again.

"Won't… you get sick if you stay with me?" I whispered.

He shook his head. "No. My Shinigami body is different, so I can't get sick… drunk, or anything."

"Oh…" I turned to where I was facing him. I dropped my hand so I was holding his knuckles. Sleep beckoned me. I closed my eyes, hoping not to fall asleep. I felt a warm feeling when I was with Kid, my special friend.

With his free hand, he patted and gently rubbed my arm. He must've felt bad for me, I guessed. My grip on his hand weakened. I opened my eyes, halfway, but Kid waved his hands over them, shutting them again.

I was at peace, laying there. I accepted sleep with full grace, but not before feeling Kid's fingers lace over mine and gently hold my hand as if it was glass. I smiled softly before going into my own dreamland.

* * *

><p><em>I woke up on the cold floor, my body shivering. My body was sprawled across the gray tiles. I felt much better than when I fell asleep. I slowly sat up onto my knees, which soon became cold as well. <em>

"_Hello?" I called. I wore the black gown with the never ending train. The tattoos were connected, as always._

"_Hello?" My cry was unheard. I attempted to get up, but something held my left hand down against the floor. I pulled and tugged, but it felt like someone was holding my hand too tightly. I sat back down, and curled into a little ball, hugging my knees. _

_A sudden warmth appeared from my right. A coldness chilled my left. I looked up to see Aki on my left, smiling like before. She wore a beautiful kimono, green with yellow suns. Her hair was up in a small bun. She seemed a mile away._

"_A-aki!" I crawled onto my knees. She noticed me finally, and ran towards me. I couldn't do anything since I was pinned to the floor. I didn't care. With my free hand I welcomed her with open arms. She ran into them, hugging the dear life out of me. I fell over, laughing and smiling._

"_Onee-chan! Sister!" She almost screamed. Tears filled my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. My hand was free, and I held it up in front of me. Bruises were around the fingers, as if someone crushed my hand rather than hold it. I hugged her back as I sat up. _

_Tears filled her eyes, too. I wiped them with the palm of my hand. She did the same with mine, nearly poking my eyeballs out._

"_Aki… how… how did you get here…?" My eyes went wide. "Aki…" I grabbed her shoulders. "You shouldn't be here!"_

"_Onee-chan…"_

SLAP

_I blinked out for a second. I was on my knees again, farther away from Aki. My dress spiraled around the two of us. I cradled my stinging cheek._

"_A-aki…" I turned to see her face in absolute horror. Her small hand was almost behind her head, bright pink with hitting someone._

"_Sister…" She whispered. I caught her as she dropped to her knees. She cried into my shirt, sniffling and screaming. It was a disgusting cry, I wished she would be her happy self._

"_I… saw somebody else… somebody scary! I didn't know it was you! I'm so stupid! I'm sorry… sorry… sorry-yy!" I hugged her and stroked her hair that now came loose and fell down her back. I grabbed the hair and put it back into a bun._

_We sat there, hugging, crying, and comforting. She made my entire top dress soaked with tears. _

"_Aki… it's alright, I'm here. I'm here, and I'll protect you. Mmmk?" I lifted her chin so she looked into my eyes._

_She gasped softly. "Your… your markings…" She gasped again and coughed. "Your eyes! One's blue and the other one is purple!"_

_I nodded. She smiled. I mimicked her smile with a small one._

"_I told you! My big sister is the most special person in the world!" _

"_Aki…" My smile grew smaller._

_I leaned down and kissed her forehead. A single tear streamed down my cheek, and dripped from my chin. It splashed on Aki's palm. _

"_Sister?" She squirmed away and looked at me. "Why don't you come to me? I'm in a hospital…" She rubbed her arm._

_I looked down. "Aki…"_

"_Tell me! Please…" She began. I held my hand up._

"_Hikaki! Shush." I felt terrible. Tears fell from my face. Knots grew in my stomach, and my head pounded. _

_I know what I have to do. I… have to! _

"_Ma-mari…" The name seemed unfamiliar. I stood up, slowly, and turned my back to her. _

_I flipped my head. "Hikaki Amuza!" I said loudly._

_She looked at me in confusion. "Tell me…"_

"_Forget about me!" Somehow, I knew how to escape. I snapped my fingers, like my shadow did. My body cracked, then my feet shattered. I fell, my hair flowing in front of me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Eventually every bit of me cracked and shattered, the shards leaving no trace. Everything flashed white, then black._

_The last words to process through were-_

"_I'm sorry… Aki…"_


	14. Being Sick Is So Not Cool

"You're waking up!" A voice called out from the darkness that came from my closed eyelids.

"Ki…?" I didn't finish. I couldn't. My voice cracked.

"Here." A cold glass was put up to my lips. It was raised, and I opened my mouth for a small sip of water. I swallowed, after much difficulty.

"Thank, you." I opened my eyes. Kid smiled down upon me. He wore his normal suit and tie. I turned my head to see it was exactly two thirty. "Shouldn't you be in school…?"

He shrugged. "I got out like half an hour ago. I was worried about you."

I sat up, propping my pillow. I leaned against it for support over my pounding headache.

"You played hooky?"

"Sort of. Oh!" He reached into his small pocket and grabbed out a small orange bottle with black and white pills inside.

"I don't believe in modern medicine…" I don't. I crossed my arms.

"Well, believe it or not, neither does Stein." He popped opened the cap and shook out two pills. He pushed them in my face. "He made them himself." Kid pushed it against my lips. I kept them shut. I shook my head no.

"Oh come on. I trust Stein, and I would never give you anything that I thought was unsafe." He pushed it further. My eyes widened at his sudden words. Slowly, I smiled a bit and opened my mouth. He dropped it in. "Swallow."

I attempted, but the pill seemed resistant. I began to cough. I grabbed for the glass of water and swallowed the rest of it, along with the defiant pill. I panted hard after that thing took its toll on me.

"What did you give me?" I asked, grabbing an ice cube and sucking on it. My stomach gurgled, making my face red. It silenced.

"I asked Stein for some good medicine for the common cold." He smiled. I placed a hand over my forehead. My face still was warm, but the temperature definitely went down.

"Wow…" I said. "Give Stein my thanks."

He smiled. "Okay. Here," –he pressed the small bottle into my hands- "Take one every three hours for a few days, and the bug will completely go away." Kid stood up. "Would you like something to eat?"

My stomach answered for me. I giggled.

* * *

><p>"Here." Kid handed me a small plate with toasted bread, fried eggs, and a small cup of tea.<p>

"Thank you." I gave him a piece of toast before slowly tucking into my very late breakfast. He munched small bites while looking around the room, checking for symmetry, I guessed.

"So…" I began, wanting to have a conversation. There was really nothing else since I couldn't go out.

"Hmm…" He glanced at me.

"I don't know…" I stared back at him blankly. I was mostly staring at his hair, his three white stripes on the left side seemed like a punk dye. I decided against asking him what the hell they were, since it wasn't symmetrical.

"How about this…?" He wiped his hands together. "Why were you repeating my name in your sleep?" I choked on my eggs I was eating. I coughed, gulping all the tea down.

"W-what?" I didn't remember anything from my dream, except knowing I had a dream. I waved my arms in front of him. "I-I did not!" My face went red. Did I really dream about Kid?

"Hahaha, just kidding." Kid sipped his glass of water and crossed his hands together, setting his chin on the bridge of his knuckles, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You're so funny went flustered."

"Shut up." I punched his forehead

* * *

><p>"Oi, Kid! Heard you played hooky!" I opened my eyes to see Soul at the doorway with Roxas. I was laying down on the couch with a thin blanket pulled over me while Kid read on the opposite couch. I was just about to drift to sleep when the door slammed open and two intruders intruded.<p>

I turned onto my side and covered my ears with my pillow. Soul was stomping towards me.

"Does Soul have to be so… loud…" Sleep called to me again. I felt weight near my feet, and let go of the pillow covering my face to see Soul sitting at the end of the couch.

"Well I'm sorry. Maybe you shouldn't play out in the rain." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roxas flinch a little.

"What...?" I turned to where I was looking at the black couch. My white pajama shirt suddenly felt uncomfortable. Realization hit me.

_How does Soul know I was sitting in the rain for so long I got sick?_

…

_Roxas._

The voices became fuzzy murmurs. I laid onto my back and kicked Soul in the arm, pressing my foot against him. I liked my leg space, and he was taking it.

"Hey!" Soul grabbed my ankle and threw it over the edge, turning me to where I was close to the edge also. I closed my eyes. I was so tired, I didn't want to move away from the couch that was slipping from me. I was falling.

Suddenly, someone caught me and placed me back on to the couch. The blanket was replaced on me. I heard a sigh of relief before I went back to sleep. A small smile crept onto my face.

* * *

><p>"Nice catch." Soul smirked as I sat down on the floor, near Alice's head. I sighed.<p>

"You're such an ass sometimes. You know that?" I nearly wanted to punch him in the face. First, he bullied me into spilling out what Alice had told me earlier, then he tries to drop her on the floor! Thankfully, I caught her in time before she smashed head-first into the carpet.

"How am I an ass? I'm cool, and cool people aren't asses to their friends." Soul crossed his arms.

"Cool?" I bursted. Okay, now I was pissed. His obsession with being known as a cool person ticked me off. "Being cool by being a jerk to someone who's sick?" I stood up. "Being cool is by being mean to someone who's never done anything to you?"

This time, Soul stood up. "Shut up! Seriously! You barely know the chick and you're acting as if you're her guardian! I didn't know she'd fall! Besides, Alice kicked me. That's not very lady-like!"

I slammed my foot down. "Guardian? I'm her friend! She was half asleep, she probably didn't know that she kicked you! That doesn't give you a reason to drop her onto the floor! Wait, besides, you don't even act as a friend at all!"

"What?" Soul grabbed my collar. "What the hell do you mean I don't act as a friend? Stupid chocolate-eating son of a-"

I pushed him away. I was all up in his face now. "You don't the first thing about being nice! Shut up!"

Everything seemed in slow motion. I threw my right fist out while Soul threw out his left. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blur, rushing at rapid speed.

"Stop!" My fist was held back. My vision cleared and I saw Alice in the middle of us, grabbing our fists and holding us back with all her strength. I also noticed she was just wearing a familiar undershirt.

_Kid's shirt?_

"Shut it, both of you! You're both friends, so stop fighting!" Spills of water dripped from her eyes.

_She was crying…?_

I also noticed she had her legs spread apart to make sure she had enough strength to hold us back. I didn't see her face through her hair, but I could tell it was strained.

Soul backed off. "A-Alice…"

Alice didn't stop. "Stupid! You two take friendship for granite!" I walked away, and her hands dropped to her sides. My hand hurt from her grip. Suddenly, I saw her body go limp, like she was very tired. Her knees buckled, and she fell.

Both Kid and me both caught her, her knees almost touching the floor, but not quite. I had her right arm and slung it over my shoulder, while Kid had his head poking out her underarm and his arm around her waist. Soul looked worried and came over.

"A-a-Alice… are you okay?" He was about to touch her face, but stopped and put his hand back.

With one swipe, Kid pulled my arm off of Alice and picked her up, bridal style. Her bangs dropped, and revealed her eyes.

They were closed, and she was pale. Really pale. Tears stood still, creating a crystal path down her face. To me, she looked like a small child who got lost and started crying. But she was breathing heavily: She must've gone back to sleep.

"You should be ashamed, both of you. I didn't interfere, because I thought you could work it out, but I was wrong. Really- Alice had to come over and stop you two!" Kid shook his head. "I'm going to put her to bed so she doesn't have to wake up again." Under his breath, he added- "Seriously… you two are bad for her health."

That hit me. Hard. Right in the chest. I took a small step backwards as Kid took a sleeping Alice to her room. I reached for my inside jacket pocket and grabbed out a stick of Pocky. I chewed it slowly.

_I… was bad for Alice? I hurt her? Well… that time… yeah, just now, I hurt her, but… _

Soul stuck his hand out. "S-Sorry… I was kind of- no… I was a jerk."

"No, I was being rude… Sorry." I shook his hand and he grinned, flashing his spiky teeth. I smiled back.

*-.-.-.-*

"Ughh… what happened?" I got up and rubbed my aching forehead. "Huh…?" I felt my cheeks, and felt dried tears. Maybe I had a bad dream…?

Dreams…

Lately, I haven't been remembering my dreams, which is odd. I'm behind on my meditating, so maybe that's why… If I go up on that hill I may get rid of the headache…

"Huh…?" I whispered again. On my bed-stand was a note and a small chocolate candy.

_Pocky…_

I blushed. Roxas was here? As I slipped out of bed I tried to recall memories of last night. I slipped on my white tank top and orange shorts that cut at my thighs. With this, everyone could see my spiraling tattoos, but I knew a secret route so no one saw me. With my blue ribbon, I tied my hair back into a high ponytail.

I stared at the paper and Pocky for a long time. Hesitantly, I grabbed it and placed it in my mouth. The chocolate was absolutely heavenly, but I could barely taste it. Slipping the bottle and choking down another pill, I picked up the note. I read it slowly, my brain unable to process slowly.

_Thanks –Roxas_

I slipped my socks and shoes on.

"Why would he thank me?"

* * *

><p>I realized I had stepped outside in a matter of days, so the sunlight burned my eyes, even though it was morning, making me feel like a vampire. I stretched. One, two- left hand over my head. One, two- right over my head. One, two- Stretch back. One, two- Stretch forward.<p>

I began walking towards my destination. As soon as I found the second alleyway, I turned, hopping over the fence. The rain had finally stopped, making everything refreshing and the air clean. I made a sharp right and climbed up the rickety, metal stair case and landed on a brick roof. From there, I carefully positioned a slender, sturdy plank between two buildings and balanced myself across.

Drastic, some people may call this. I call it necessary. I was less likely to be seen up here than down on the sidewalk.

I climbed down on the last building of the block, landing on my feet like a cat. With that, I kept walked into the open woods.

When I finally reached my destination, I sighed at the view. The cliff overlooked the city, with winds rushing through the leaves, creating a soft and open atmosphere. I slipped off my shoes and socks and sat down on the earth. I placed my hand in my lap and sat upright.

I took a deep breath and let go of myself. All thoughts, cleared away.

_Like water, wash my thoughts away._ I thought. My mind began to wander, but I went back to concentrate on the scenery. Eventually, I closed my eyes and just breathed.

I sat there, in a state of peace, for who knows how long. My headache instantly cleared. I twitched when I heard a rustling in the bushes behind me.

Another movement. I could sense it. Something was spying on me. Opening my eyes, I tried to make out what it was.

_Find the aura… find the soul._

I tried to sense their soul. I've never done it before, because it was unnecessary. I felt a gray presence, who would think before doing, calm, and had…

Insanity.

_Rustle _

_Rustle_


	15. Himari Takes Over!

I stood up quickly and turned around. A pair of giant, round eyes flashed.

"Who's there?" My tied up hair swished behind me. Slowly, I reached down and grabbed my shoe.

"Take that!" I threw my shoe at the bush.

"Ow!" A familiar voice called out in pain. I grabbed my other shoe and walked over.

"Professor Stein?" I said. Stein was sprawled out on the ground, wearing what he always did, only without his lab coat. My shoe made an imprint on his forehead. "O-Oh! I'm so sorry!"

He sat up, groaning. "Not to worry. Excellent aim, I must say." He cracked his neck. I stared at the screw coming out of his head as he turned it.

_Click _

_Click_

_Click_

"So, what are you doing here, Alice?" Stein stood up and looked down at me. Compared to me, he was massive.

"Oh! Uh… uh…" I looked down at my bare feet. "I thought it would be a good idea to come up here and meditate, you know. To clear my thoughts." I chuckled and raised my head. "What are you doing here?"

"I do my personal training nearby. I sensed your soul, so I came to investigate. I see that medicine has been working properly?" He pushed his glasses up. I nodded. Taking my pills completely slipped my mind, but despite the headache I had before, I didn't feel sick at all.

"Yes, they have." I replied. "Thank you for the medicine." I bowed slightly, my hair falling down my shoulder. When I straightened, I brushed my hair away, revealing my shoulder.

"What are those tattoos?" He pointed.

"W-What…?" I whispered, shock freezing me. I turned my head to see that almost all of my arm tattoos were completely exposed.

"The pattern, it seems… familiar. Mind explaining?" Stein's voice went cold. My eyes were as wide as quarters. Not thinking, I clenched my shoulder with my hand. I stepped backwards.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I yelled angrily.

"I was just asking… Alice?" He reached a hand out to me. I stepped another step, my back brushing up against the trunk of a tree.

"Leave me alone!" I yelled, my knees buckling and landing on my butt. I sighed. I felt like crying. "I can't trust you… not anybody… except for Shinigami. And…" I whispered. "Her…" I released my shoulder and looked up at him. He was kneeling over me, worried. Stein carefully patted my back as if to calm me.

We stayed like that in silence for quite some time. I breathed deeply. This was not what I was expecting for.

"Might I propose an offer?" He sat next to me. I wiped my eyes.

"What might that be?"

"How about you train with me for today? Your soul is out of whack. Could you tell me what you know, then as a personal lesson, I can teach you what you need to know." His voice was soft, as if he was talking to a mouse.

"You'd do that for me?" One thing I do know, Stein doesn't look like one who'd just go around helping people.

"Sure. So, tell me…" He crossed his legs. "What do you know? Shinigami told me that you're a rookie, despite being a three star ranking meister."

"Let's see…" I crossed my arms. "I know how to use Soul Drive, and Soul, Perception, I think."

"You think?"

"I've only used it once, right now, to sense your soul."

"What did you see?" He asked.

"A gray soul, one that thinks before fighting, usually sarcastic and calm, and…"

"And…?"

"Insanity. I felt a lot of insanity in your soul, Stein." I frowned at my lap.

"Good. You got it right." He smiled.

"What?" He stood up and pulled me up by my shoulders.

"Come now. I'm a scientist with a screw coming out of his head. You don't think I would have even a little bit of madness?" I gawked at his grin.

*-.-.-.-*

We were up, higher on the hill, where it was really rocky and steep. We were on a flat area when Stein finally stopped. I looked at the city. It looked so tiny.

"So, what are we going to work on?" I asked, tossing my shoes to the side. Stein did the same, placing his glasses in one of the shoes before placing them aside.

"Well, why don't we warm up?" He raised his fists and struck. If I hadn't been paying attention, he would've hit me right in the face. I did a backflip, landing on the flats of my feet. I was crouched down. I stared at the tattoos that spiraled down my thigh. Sighing, Stein lashed out at me again.

This time, I was ready. I shoved my foot out, tripping his ankle. He balanced himself on his right hand before jumping back.

"This is insane… literally." I panted. He straightened and clicked his screw.

"Well, so are we, Alice." Yellow and green electricity formed around him.

"I'm not a mad-man, Professor." I clenched my fists, and naturally, purple sparks flew around them.

"You're Soul Drive is not focused. It's not to its full extent."

"What?" He lashed at me, punching me in the stomach. An unfamiliar energy filled me, burning my insides. I flew, hitting the rocky ground. Like stop-motion, I got up onto my knees, panting hard.

"What do you mean… how is it not strong enough…?" I stood up, slowly, and straightened my back.

"It's all in your soul." He bonked his head with his fist. More electricity, and he lunged.

Like everything was going slowly, I closed my eyes. _It's all in your soul…_ I imagined my actual soul forming around me, helping me.

"_Need help?" Himari floated over me._

"_Himari!" I screamed, happy to see her._

"_Long time no see, eh?"_

"_Yeah…mind helping…?"_

"_Certainly. But remember, my power is sealed. I can only go so far."_

Not knowing, I released Himari's power. A purplish orb surrounded me, wind spiraling. Stein stopped.

"Your soul..." He whispered.

Black spirals winded down my soul, signifying that it was mine. I remember reading- _All souls have unique color and a special attribute to show the person. Such as: scars, character items, or auras (color of the soul)._

I opened my eyes, completely flooded by who knows what. Sparks flew around me as I controlled my soul to my hands and feet.

"Finally, my own body!" Himari laughed.

"Come at me." I beckoned.

"Alice… have you given into the madness so easily?" Stein shrugged.

"What?" My vision cleared for a moment.

"Well, before you destroy something, I better stop you." His soul formed around him. It was gray, with a large scar across his left, like the one on his face. A large bolt came through his soul's head.

I lifted my hand and slashed, my body moving as if like a puppet. He blocked it, but a small scratch formed on his arm.

We ran at each other, punching and kicking. He kicked me in the thigh, making me trip. I grabbed his ankle and threw him against the wall. I stood up, and he did, too.

"When are you going to give in? You can't use that much insanity for much longer. You're too weak for it."

"Weak? What the hell are you talking about?" Himari screamed through me. She was in action, with me cheering on the sidelines. I felt sicker and more tired the longer Himari was in control.

He eyes flashed. "Ahh, so you're Alice's madness. Nice to finally meet you."

"You knew of me? Pfft, I haven't done a good job hiding my presence, then. I blame Alice-chan."

"I wish you'd stop over-exerting her. She's killing herself at your expense." He kicked me, which Himari blocked by simply raising my arm out.

"Sure, this is the first time we're resonating, but Alice-chan will be fine."

"The first time? See, that's my point." Stein sighed. "No use trying to teach stubborn people." I felt Himari's anger rise. More kicks and punching. "Time to end this. I'm missing Alice." Like a flash of lightning, he punched me again in the stomach, and threw me to the ground.

The breath flew out of me. I laid there, motionless. Inside, Himari shook me.

"_Come on, I can finish him off! Just give a little more!"_

"_H-Himari… I'm sorry… I can't do it… Go back…" I sealed her back into the mirror._

My vision cleared. I tried to get up, but surprisingly couldn't. I stood on my feet, but fainted instead. Falling forwards, Stein caught me. Regaining consciences, I opened my eyes.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Alice."

"What… happened…" I couldn't move, so I stayed there in Stein's arms. I felt like prey.

"Well, you let madness take over you. And apparently, it's so strong, it's able to take form."

"Hmm…" He picked me up and took me down the cliff, saying it was too dangerous up there. He propped me up against a tree trunk. Getting our shoes, he put his glasses back on.

"Well, from this lesson, I can say this much. You need to learn how to control and use your soul abilities without accidently releasing your madness." He explained.

"I didn't do it on accident." I breathed.

"What?" Stein looked confused.

"I released it all on my own. You were using some of your darkness, too, so I thought, 'I need to have my power heightened to his level'."

"Good reasoning, terribly executed. Yes, I was using madness, but I know how to control it. Your homework is to not use your madness unless you can get a grip on it and not let it take control of you. Another assignment: learn to control your soul so you can use Soul Drive properly." And with that, he walked away.

I sat there for a long time, thinking about what had happened. I needed to get home, but I couldn't. So I sat. Himari's eyes popped out of my shadow.

"Um… sorry. For hurting you." She mumbled.

I chuckled. "It's fine. I'm not hurt, just tired. Remember what Stein said, I'm in control."

"Yeah…" She disappeared before I could talk to her again.

"It's nice to talk to you again, Himari." Struggling, I got up and put my shoes and socks on. (Not in that particular order.) Limping from tree to tree, I eventually made it up to the wall. I retraced my steps and found myself on the stairs of the building, panting for breath. I crawled my way to my door, being as silent as possible.

_No one in the living room, good… _I thought to myself as I made my way back into my room. I slipped my pajama shirt on and laid down.

All energy drained out of me, I didn't bother covering myself with the covers. I fell asleep, hoping to see Himari.


End file.
